


Wings of Freedom

by Higuchimon



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! GX
Genre: Advent 2016-2017, Alternate Universe - Magic, Alternate Universe - Wings, Chapter Set Boot Camp, Christmas Advent 2017, Diversity Writing Challenge, Epic Masterclass, M/M, New Year's Mini-Advent 2015-2016, Valentine's Day To White Day 2016
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-06
Updated: 2021-03-10
Packaged: 2021-03-17 18:07:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 23,444
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28604181
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Higuchimon/pseuds/Higuchimon
Summary: Shadow mage Fujiwara Yuusuke and warrior Edo Phoenix are engaged by Brron to bring his wayward son Juudai back to him.  Juudai doesn’t want to go back, and vampire Marufuji Ryou and psychic Saiou Takuma, along with his consorts Yubel and Johan, won’t let that happen.  Yuusuke and Edo have no idea of what’s in store for them.
Relationships: Edo Phoenix | Aster Phoenix/Saiou Takuma | Sartorius, Fujiwara Yusuke/Marufuji Ryou | Zane Truesdale, Johan Andersen | Jesse Anderson/Yubel/Yuuki Juudai | Jaden Yuki
Comments: 8
Kudos: 9





	1. Chapter 1

**Title:** Wings of Freedom  
 **Characters:** Yuusuke, Edo, Brron, Juudai|| **Ship:** Edo x Saiou, Ryou x Yuusuke, Yubel x Juudai x Johan  
 **Chapters:** 1-51|| **Words:** 2,089|| **Total** 2,089  
 **Genre:** Drama|| **Rated:** PG  
 **Notes:** In this world, the vast majority of sentient life is born with flight-capable wings. It’s not quite like **Sky Stories** though, for a lot of reasons: starting with the fact the world is similar to Dark World in the sense that humans and spirits live together in various realms. As for the rest of it – you’ll see as we go along.  
 **Challenges:** Diversity Writing: YGO wings!AU: L11, completely fictional setting; New Year’s Mini-Advent 2015-2016: randomly generate 3 characters & write a fic about them (Yuusuke, Edo, & Brron); Valentine’s Day to White Day 2016, day #21, pick a random AU [wings!AU]; Advent 2016-2017, day #14, Chapter Set Boot Camp, #25, 51 chapters; Chapter Set Boot Camp, #25, 51 chapters; Christmas Advent 2017, day #22, take two characters who don’t interact & create a scenario where they do (Edo & Yuusuke); Epic Masterclass, #10, the Wild Card  
 **Summary:** Shadow mage Fujiwara Yuusuke and warrior Edo Phoenix are engaged by Brron to bring his wayward son Juudai back to him. Juudai doesn’t want to go back, and vampire Marufuji Ryou and psychic Saiou Takuma, along with his consorts Yubel and Johan, won’t let that happen. Yuusuke and Edo have no idea of what’s in store for them.

* * *

Thin flickers of flame danced between the two figures as they sat on opposite sides of the fire. Shadows rose up behind them, shifting and moving with the flames. One of those who sat reached out to touch his fingers to the shadows, brushing against them in the greeting of shadow mage to darkness. A thin, not very happy smile touched onto his lips. 

He didn’t think that he’d have a happy smile until this was over with. He released the shadow and it slumped back down, acting as no more than an ordinary shadow without his magic to enliven it. 

His fireside companion watched in silence, finishing up the dinner he’d made for himself. Pale silver-white feathered wings stretched out behind his companion, a near mirror twin to the seaweed green wings that spread from the shadow mage’s shoulders. The warrior stared down into the flames, his blue eyes distant. 

“How much farther do we have to go?” He asked, breaking the silence that had hung between them ever since they’d made their camp. Even before that – neither had properly addressed a word to one another since they’d been assigned this mission. 

The shadow mage stared out into the night, considering before he answered. “Several more days. I can’t help the travel. There’s some sort of barrier around his realm.” 

The warrior’s lips thinned. “Something you can’t break?” 

“Something I don’t even want to touch.” The shadow mage shook his head. “His darkness is different from mine. Stronger.” He pressed his lips together. “I’d rather not even try. Attempting to walk through it would alert him.” 

“So we have to take the long way around.” The warrior tilted his head back and closed his eyes. “Right. Perfect.” 

The shadow mage, Fujiwara Yuusuke, snorted to himself. He knew enough about shadow magic to know when someone was far more powerful than he was, even from this kind of distance. 

This Yuuki Juudai so overpowered him that it terrified him. He couldn’t even imagine how they were going to pull off this mission successfully. But there would be no way that they could fail to try. 

Failing to try meant that they would never see their loved ones again. Yuusuke wasn't going to let _that_ happen. 

Nor would his companion. Edo Phoenix would fight to drive his sword directly into Yuuki Juudai’s heart and bring his head back to their ‘employer’ if that was what it took. Yuusuke had seen that look in his eyes ever since they’d first met. 

* * *

It started with explosions. They were very loud and very destructive and the moment that Yuusuke heard it he started towards them, wanting to see what he could do. Shadow magic wasn’t always helpful when it came to certain disasters, but he might be able to help rescue people. He’d done it before. 

He expected Honest to appear next to him at any moment. His partner would let him know if people needed his help. Without Honest, he wouldn’t have known who he could help or if he could help at all. 

But even as he drew closer to where the explosions and noises came from, there wasn’t any sign of his angelic partner. Worry unfolded itself in his heart. He tried to ignore it, to focus on what he could do to help, but he wasn’t very successful at it. Surely Honest would be there soon. He’d flown all this way and now he landed, wings folded up, and started to look around. 

But Honest didn’t show up. What did show up was a horde of demon creatures at the gates to the village, pouring in through the destroyed gates and flooding into the streets. The civilians screamed and fled, doing all that they could to flee. Some who could tried to fly, but either their wings weren’t developed enough or they couldn’t get far before airborne troops dropped down out of the sky and brought them to the ground. 

This was a nightmare that exploded right in front of them. So many of them fell to the demons’ weapons and magic, as Yuusuke tried to understand what he was seeing and could not succeed. He’d never seen destruction on this scale and certainly not for any reason he could think of. The monarch of their realm wasn’t at war with anyone. This area had been at peace for as long as he could remember. 

But here they were, murdering everyone in sight. Yuusuke shook off his confusion in a few seconds, clenched his teeth and spread his wings, setting his stance, and calling for the shadows. They stirred up at his command, writhing towards the demon army, lashing forward and grasping onto them by arms and legs and throats and wings. 

“There! It’s him! The shadow mage!” 

He wasn’t sure where the cry came from, let alone what came after it – something whirling out of the darkness, too fast for him to do anything more than realize that it happened in the first place. Too fast to react. Too fast to avoid the chains that latched around his wrists and clamped down hard. As soon as they did, all of his connection to the shadows snapped off, as if it had never been there in the first place. 

Yuusuke fell to his knees, dragging in a harsh and terrified breath of air, his heart beating rapidly over and over. What was going on? With the chains clicking there, he couldn’t seem to bring a single clear thought to bear. All around him more people fell, but the demons only encircled him, dragging his arms behind his back. Others bound his wings with thick leather straps and more chains bound his ankles to keep him from fleeing in any fashion. 

As if he could have. Those chains and the magic around them kept his head spinning and out of sorts even without the bindings on his legs and wings. 

But finally someone else approached. He didn’t recognize who they were, but the creature seized his chin and tilted his head backwards. 

“Yes, this is the one Brron-sama wants,” the warrior declared in a deep, gravelly voice. “Do we have the other one?” 

Another monster, this one tall and thin and wrapped in a green cloak, stepped closer. “Yes, Zure-sama.” He clicked his fingers together and two more monsters dragged Honest up. He was chained just like Yuusuke was, smeared with dirt and mud, evidence of his struggles, and he reached out towards his shadow mage helplessly. 

Yuusuke would have reached back if he could have. The chains didn’t allow it. He managed a weak sort of smile in an attempt to assure Honest that he was all right. He really wasn’t, but he wanted to do something. Honest tried to reach for him as well but the monsters kept them pulled apart. 

“All right, is that all of them?” The one called Zure asked, looking around. Some of the others nodded, and Yuusuke only then realized that the entire village wasn’t anything more than burning ruins and twitching bodies – most of which weren’t all that twitching, either. 

“Good. Let’s go. Brron-sama’s waiting for us.” 

Yuusuke and Honest were dragged into a pair of barred wagons, still kept bound by chains, and the small army started away. Yuusuke stared out as best he could. He couldn’t see a great deal, but what he saw terrified and saddened him. Not just this village but most of the ones that they passed through were nothing more than wreck and ruins now. 

And the bodies – all the bodies. He couldn’t see much through the bars of his wagon, but what he saw sent him slumping down to the floor, dragging in heaving breaths. 

At least none of them were his kin. He didn’t have any kin and no one he really found himself all that close to, aside from Honest. He’d always been distant from other people. He couldn’t help it, not since he first showed a flair for shadow magic. People accepted and rejoiced in mages that they understood – healers, wielders of light magic, angels, even spellcasters of death. But the magic of the shadows wasn’t something that everyone understood or wanted around them. 

The trip to wherever they were going – to this Brron-sama – took almost two weeks. Yuusuke could only keep track of the time by the few glimpses of the stars that he saw. Every shadow mage worth their education could read the time by the stars. 

“What are you doing this for?” Yuusuke managed to ask on the first night when he was dragged out of the wagon and dropped down next to a smoky fire. One of the monsters cuffed him gruffly. 

“Don’t ask questions,” he was told, “Brron-sama will tell you what you’re going to do when you get there.” 

And that was all he was told throughout the whole trip. He tried asking others, but the answer was the same, usually with another cuff upside the head. So long as they didn’t kill him or bruise him too badly, no one seemed to care about how much he was damaged. 

Yuusuke didn’t see Honest throughout this whole trip, at least not at any sort of close range. Sometimes he saw his partner at a distance, being treated much the same way that Yuusuke himself was. 

After a few days he didn’t even see that. He wondered if the guards were keeping the two of them apart, for whatever reason he couldn’t understand. 

But eventually they came to a large fortress, surrounded by a deep fosse lined with sharp stone spikes, which could be breached only by single drawbridge. He couldn’t quite taste the magic with the chains on, not like he could with it off, but he could definitely tell there were enchantments wrapped around it as a defense. If he’d had his magical senses free, he would have known exactly what they were. But without them, he could just feel the vague hints that a non-mage might have. 

“Brron-sama wants him taken to the dungeons.” 

Yuusuke couldn’t hear who spoke. He hadn’t been taken out of the wagon just yet. Right now he leaned against the wall and tried to listen. The last two weeks had been something of a nightmare – they traveled from dawn to dusk and only took short breaks around noon. He was brought out and allowed to take short walks once they stopped for the night, but at noon he remained in his prison, with a little food shoved in towards him. Breakfast and dinner weren’t much different. Usually some sort of gruel for breakfast and meat and bread for dinner. 

What made it worse was that he could smell what the leader of the group, Zure, ate, and he knew very well that it wasn’t that kind of slop. He couldn’t pick out the exact meals, but he knew well-roasted mutton and fried fish when he smelled it. If he peered in the right way he could also see casks of wine and barrels of beer – which he wasn’t given a sample of. Water was all that he had shoved at him day in and day out. He wasn’t allowed to fly – they probably didn’t want to take the chance he could outfly them. 

He didn’t expect that to change now that he was here, wherever ‘here’ was. If anything, he wouldn’t have been surprised if he didn’t get fed at all. Stuck in a dungeon for whatever reason? Deprived of his magic? Away from his partner? 

He had no idea of what this Brron wanted him for but it could not have been anything good at all. 

* * *

Yuusuke traced a shadow again. After all that time without his magic, he knew that he’d never take it for granted as long as he lived. He closed his eyes for a few seconds, stretching all of his senses as far as he could. 

Somewhere on the other side of those shadows there glowed a glimmering light – Honest. He couldn’t touch that light, but he knew that it was there. The only way that he’d be able to get Honest back would be to do this job. 

_Maybe not even then._ From what he knew of Brron, he wasn’t necessarily going to release Honest just because Yuusuke pulled off this job. He’d certainly not expect it. After Brron’s idea of recruiting and hiring him involved all the death that it had… 

After all of that, he wasn’t expecting anything good at all. 

* * *

**To Be Continued**

**Notes:** I’m going to update this once a week. I have a great deal of fun things planned!


	2. Chapter 2

**Title:** Wings of Freedom  
 **Characters:** Brron, Juudai, Edo, Ryou, Yubel|| **Ship:** Edo x Saiou, Ryou x Yuusuke, Yubel x Juudai x Johan  
 **Chapters:** 2-51|| **Words:** 2,042|| **Total** 4,131  
 **Genre:** Drama|| **Rated:** PG  
 **Notes:** In this world, the vast majority of sentient life is born with flight-capable wings. It’s not quite like **Sky Stories** though, for a lot of reasons: starting with the fact the world is similar to Dark World in the sense that humans and spirits live together in various realms. As for the rest of it – you’ll see as we go along.  
 **Challenges:** Diversity Writing: YGO wings!AU: L11, completely fictional setting; New Year’s Mini-Advent 2015-2016: randomly generate 3 characters & write a fic about them (Yuusuke, Edo, & Brron); Valentine’s Day to White Day 2016, day #21, pick a random AU [wings!AU]; Advent 2016-2017, day #14, Chapter Set Boot Camp, #25, 51 chapters; Chapter Set Boot Camp, #25, 51 chapters; Christmas Advent 2017, day #22, take two characters who don’t interact & create a scenario where they do (Edo & Yuusuke); Epic Masterclass, #10, the Wild Card  
 **Summary:** Shadow mage Fujiwara Yuusuke and warrior Edo Phoenix are engaged by Brron to bring his wayward son Juudai back to him. Juudai doesn’t want to go back, and vampire Marufuji Ryou and psychic Saiou Takuma, along with his consorts Yubel and Johan, won’t let that happen. Yuusuke and Edo have no idea of what’s in store for them.

* * *

Brron stared at the jagged crystal gripped between his skeletal fingers, laughing softly at the images reflected in it. They weren’t as good as what he expected to see in due course, but they amused him for now. 

One shadow mage and one warrior, capable of finding his recalcitrant son and taking care of him in the way Brron believe that he deserved. And if they failed their task, then Brron would see to it their “loved ones” suffered for it. 

He passed one hand over the crystal and the image changed, this time showing a middle aged human man in a cell. He slumped against the wall he was bound to, eyes half-closed. Brron made certain that his prisoners were all very healthy – mostly because dead hostages were of no use to him. 

_I’ll kill him slowly when the time comes._ Brron knew it would, whether or not Phoenix and Fujiwara achieved the goal that he’d set for them. Once that happened, they’d be of even _less_ use to him and he saw no reason to keep them around. 

Not that he’d bothered telling that to his current minions. But if they hadn’t figured that out, they were far stupider than he’d given them credit for. 

Another pass of his hand showed the angel, bound in even more intricate bindings. Angels could not always be held. He’d had to invest in several expensive magical items to hold this one. At the least he wanted Fujiwara and Phoenix to retrieve enough treasure to pay off _that_ cost. 

Then he pressed his lips together – what lips that he had – and passed his hands another time over the crystal. It clouded up at one, turning from clear and vivid to a solid, unyielding black. At first he thought that was all there would be to it. He’d seen that many times before. 

But then a face formed in the center of the darkness, ordinary enough, except for the eyes – brilliant gold and full of unyielding anger. Brron smiled at the sight. 

“My dear son,” he murmured, trying his best to sound pleasant. He wasn’t very good at it, but perhaps Juudai would be willing to listen. He had appeared, after all. He’d never done that before. 

“Stop trying to spy on us. You can’t get past my barriers. You’re not wanted.” He bit the words off coldly, then from the heart of the crystal there came a sweeping wave of power, enough to throw Brron back against his throne and send his senses reeling. 

When Brron’s head cleared up, he could see several of his warriors peering at him worriedly. He waved them back; he didn’t nee any help. 

“Bring me a cup of tea,” he ordered one of the servants. He needed something to get his thoughts and his power settled. That strike of energy had been so delicious in the way of _darkness_ , overwhelming and intoxicating. Where in all the worlds had Juudai gained such power? And how could _he_ get it for himself? 

He scooped up the crystal and examined it. All the darkness had faded from it, leaving it as clear as it had been before. Brron frowned at before casting the scrying spell again, focusing all of his attention and effort on contacting Juudai. 

This time not even a hint of contact, not even the faintest flicker of shadow. It was as if Juudai didn’t exist at all. Brron threw the crystal as far away as he could, taking pleasure in the _thunk_ as it hit the wall. It wouldn’t break; he’d enchanted it years ago to hold up to anything he did to it. 

How had Juudai _done that_? That power and somehow eliminating himself from mage-sight? He’d had a barrier of some kind up before; Brron knew how that was done. He’d taught it himself and used it on himself so his enemies couldn’t spy directly on him. But since he’d trained Juudai to do that, he should have been able to break through whatever defenses there were. 

And yet he couldn’t. 

The servant approached with the tea, offering it a trifle nervously. Brron seized it, draining it to the bottom in one gulp before he ordered another. He didn’t like most teas, but he needed this to sort himself out after that strike. 

_I may have to depend on Fujiwara and Phoenix._ It was what he’d hired them for, but he still wasn’t fond of the thought. If Juudai could do this to him, then would they be able to work around his defenses? 

He had to hope that they could. Juudai knew that he was out here and that he wanted Juudai’s own head on a stick. Or better, to have Juudai return to him, kneel in submission, and accept his proper place as Brron’s one and only heir. 

He wanted Juudai to resume the position that Brron had raised him to accept for over twenty years. And if he wouldn’t do that, then Brron would happily see him dead. 

* * *

Edo folded his wings around himself in preparation to sleep. He didn’t know what Fujiwara intended to do, but he wanted to be up at first light and on the way to getting this job done. 

_Dad._ He refused to let a single emotion cross his face, even when he was situated so no one could see him, and the only person who _might_ would understand his predicament. 

Brron couldn’t be trusted. He knew that already; he’d known that from the first moment he’d realized who was involve in all of this. But he had no other options at the moment than to do what he was told. 

He pressed his lips together silently, staring at the soft, feathery inside of his wings. He’d been happy before all of this. Before his father had been abducted and Brron made his orders plain – kill or capture this “Juudai” person. If killed, bring his head back to Brron, and if captured, to bring the whole person back. Whichever was easiest. 

Edo determined that it would be easiest to kill, at least from what he knew. He would consider revising his decision once he actually met the person and saw what they were capable of. 

He hadn’t heard much about their target. Brron told them a simple tale – that he’d raised Juudai from infancy, taking him in after his parents perished in a plague, and had allowed him on a journey once. On that journey he’d met a dragon spirit and he’d never returned, setting up his own realm. 

Edo didn’t personally think that was a good enough reason to want someone dead. But his opinion didn’t matter at the moment. 

He settled himself down more comfortably. They would enter this Juudai’s realm in the morning. It would take days to get to the capital city, and he would make as many plans as he could until then. He liked having backup plans no matter the situation. 

* * *

Juudai leaned back in his chair, rubbing his forehead. The black sphere in front of him glowed ever so faintly, spreading his power all through the castle, keeping them as free from being spied on as he could manage. 

Blocking all those spells drained a lot of his energy. He knew exactly how much power he had and how much he could channel and how much he would need for other things he needed to do. If someone tried to actually physically attack him… well, that was why he’d hired a bodyguard. 

Clad in black leather, said bodyguard lounged across from him, cool teal blue eyes glancing towards him. 

“Nee anything?” Marufuji Ryou asked quietly. His bat-like wings twitched a fraction as he spoke. If Juudai hadn’t known better, he would never have thought those wings had once been a brilliant silver-blue metallic. Not with how they looked now, long and black. 

When one became undead, it reflected on every part of one. Especially the wings. 

But now Juudai sighed. “Something to drink? Not one of your usuals.” 

Ryou’s lips twitched faintly. There weren’t many people who dared to make jokes to his face about what he needed to drink. Juudai could do it because they’d known each other for years. And he never abused the privilege. 

Ryou moved to the door and spoke to the servant outside while Juudai rested his eyes. He knew that he’d feel better once he had something liquid in him, and when he got some rest tonight. But defending against Brron took a lot of effort. 

If he’d known how much effort, he might have reconsidered setting up his own realm. Yubel _had_ suggested going back to him and finding a way to end his so-called father. But he’d wanted to get away from there and never go back since he was thirteen and found out the truth. 

Juudai knew if he could see himself, his eyes would be glowing a brilliant gold. They only did that when he used his powers or when he couldn’t control his emotions for whatever reason. The burning hatred he had for Brron definitely came under that category. 

He drew in another breath, fighting to keep himself balanced. It wasn’t easy. But he tried regardless. 

“Here.” Ryou set a hot cup of wine in front of him. “That should help.” 

Juudai picked it up and carefully sipped. Exactly what he’d wanted. He’d never met the wine that could actually get him drunk, but this at least tasted good and helped him relax. 

“Have you heard about when Johan and Rune are getting back?” He asked as he worked on the drink. Ryou shrugged. 

“Nothing yet. But they’re fine.” 

Of course they would be. Juudai trusted both of them to return safely. But he wanted Johan back. He didn’t quite feel complete when he didn’t have both of his consorts with him. 

Ryou resumed his position; he could see the entire chamber from where he sat, and what he couldn’t see, he could definitely hear and smell. There were few bodyguards as good at their job as he was. Juudai would forever be grateful he’d hired him away from Camula. She’d demanded _such_ a high price, but Ryou was worth every bit of it. 

It wasn’t as if he lacked for wealth. Yubel shared their hoard with him and Yubel had spent centuries gathering it from all over the world and from other dragons. He’d seen them in battle against another dragon once before and that had been amazing, the most wonderful sight he’d seen in such a long time. He wished there was a way he could watch it over and over again, forever... 

A familiar gentle hand came to rest on his shoulder. Juudai wasn’t surprised to see Yubel there. If it had been anyone else, then they wouldn’t have been able to get in here at all, and if they somehow had, then Ryou would lay their throat bare to the bone. He’d seen his bodyguard do that before. 

But Yubel could be with him no matter what and Juudai trusted them with his life and more. 

Now he rested one hand on theirs. “I missed you,” he murmured. “Are you done?” 

“Yes. For now, at least. But there will be emissaries from other realms arriving in three full moons. Your realm will be acknowledged by them if you’ve proven yourself between now and then.” Yubel told him. They’d been gone on a journey similar to what Johan and Rune did, gathering support from the rulers of other realms. 

He’d expected that. He’d seen other people coming to Brron, begging for him to acknowledge their rule of their realms. Usually Brron pretended to agree, then sent his forces in to crush the nascent realm and add it to his own. 

Juudai learned a lot of things from his erstwhile ‘father’. What not to do was definitely one of them. 

“What do they want me to do?” He’d held tight to the throne he built for a few years. He would continue to do so. With Johan and Yubel, and the others in the deep core of his inner circle, he could get it done. 

Yubel chuckled softly. “You’ll find this fascinating,” they promised, and started telling him. 

* * *

**To Be Continued**

**Notes:** I like Ryou as a vampire. Just something that appeals to me.


	3. Chapter 3

**Title:** Wings of Freedom  
 **Characters:** Yuusuke, Edo, Brron, Juudai, Saiou|| **Ship:** Edo x Saiou, Ryou x Yuusuke, Yubel x Juudai x Johan  
 **Chapters:** 3-51|| **Words:** 2,042|| **Total** 6,136  
 **Genre:** Drama|| **Rated:** PG  
 **Notes:** In this world, the vast majority of sentient life is born with flight-capable wings. It’s not quite like **Sky Stories** though, for a lot of reasons: starting with the fact the world is similar to Dark World in the sense that humans and spirits live together in various realms. As for the rest of it – you’ll see as we go along.  
 **Challenges:** Diversity Writing: YGO wings!AU: L11, completely fictional setting; New Year’s Mini-Advent 2015-2016: randomly generate 3 characters & write a fic about them (Yuusuke, Edo, & Brron); Valentine’s Day to White Day 2016, day #21, pick a random AU [wings!AU]; Advent 2016-2017, day #14, Chapter Set Boot Camp, #25, 51 chapters; Chapter Set Boot Camp, #25, 51 chapters; Christmas Advent 2017, day #22, take two characters who don’t interact & create a scenario where they do (Edo & Yuusuke); Epic Masterclass, #10, the Wild Card  
 **Summary:** Shadow mage Fujiwara Yuusuke and warrior Edo Phoenix are engaged by Brron to bring his wayward son Juudai back to him. Juudai doesn’t want to go back, and vampire Marufuji Ryou and psychic Saiou Takuma, along with his consorts Yubel and Johan, won’t let that happen. Yuusuke and Edo have no idea of what’s in store for them.

* * *

They leaped from tree branch to tree branch, wings supporting their movements, balancing briefly before they moved on to the next. Yuusuke did his best to avoid the sunlight, if only by sheer instinct. His powers worked best in shadow and he wanted to stay where he could affect something. 

Edo didn’t care; sun or shadow meant nothing to the cold kiss of a blade. He stayed in front for the most part, darting here and there, moving forward, watching for any signs of guards or an ambush. So far as either of them knew, no one in this realm knew they were coming, but neither wanted to take any extra chances. 

_I wouldn’t be surprised if Brron did this just to get rid of us._ He couldn’t imagine why he would; he’d never cared about Brron one way or the other. But from what he knew, Brron would do things just because he could. If he decided killing two people would amuse him, then he’d do it. 

He paused on the edge of the forest and regraded the area that stretched out in front of them. The trees thinned out into grasslands, with a river winding through them, glinting softly in the summer sunlight. On the far side of the river there rose a collection of buildings. Too large to call a village, too small to be a city – a town. 

“What do you think?” He asked as Fujiwara came to rest next to him on the tree branch. “Should we see what information we can get there?” 

Fujiwara regarded the town through quiet violet eyes. “We should,” he agreed. “And we can get some supplies while we’re there.” 

Not a bad idea. Brron had given them what they would need for the bulk of the trip in but that was already almost used up. Who knew how much longer it would take to get to the capital? Did this realm even _have_ a capital just yet? It was such a new realm, not even a full decade old yet. 

Realms rose and fell over the course of such a short timespan. Anyone could declare themselves the ruler of a realm if they had enough troops to defend the territory they claimed. Whether that realm lasted beyond their lifetime was anyone’s guess. 

Edo had no interest in running a realm. He’d been quite happy living where he and his father had been, taking up missions as they were offered to him, helping those who needed it. His father always called him his little hero… 

_Not now._ He shoved that thought to the very back of his mind and focused on what he needed to do now. He lifted himself into the air, spreading his wings, and took off for the town. Fujiwara followed a heartbeat later. 

Laws and customs varied between all realms, with only a handful being similar, based simply off of sense. One of those universal customs was that no one ever _flew_ into any collection of buildings, ranging from the smallest village to the largest of cities. One always landed a distance outside the gates and _walked_ in. What happened once one reached whatever entryway the settlement had varied. But one _always_ walked. 

So the two of them settled down at one of the official landing areas set up around the town, folded up their wings, and headed towards the gates. They were in plain sight of the guards there the whole time; all of the landing areas were set up like that. No one could enter anywhere without being seen. 

The town looked much like others that Edo had seen over the course of his travels. There were plenty of buildings, some more finely built than others, and an area that would probably be the town square. Somewhere around would also be a tavern and he intended to take a short break there. With any luck they’d have decent tea and he could use a good strong cup. 

_Wonder if Fujiwara drinks tea._ He’d never asked what shadow mages preferred for their refreshment. Until now, he’d never spent more than twenty consecutive minutes with one. All anyone in his home had ever used magic for was for healing, communication, and entertainment, not whatever it was shadow mages did. 

In point of fact, Edo didn’t have any idea of just _what_ shadow mages did. He’d seen Fujiwara play with shadows as a cat might a piece of string, but how that translated into what they did, he had no idea. 

As they approached the gates, he spied two guards there, clad in simple leather armor that covered even their wings. Wing-armor wasn’t often used, but Edo thought it could come in handy on occasion. He’d never had enough money to invest in it himself. 

“Greetings, sirs,” the left-hand guard spoke when they came into sight. “Welcome to Tradeview. Are you going anywhere in particular?” 

Edo nodded quietly. “I have employment offered to me at Thilmekadi.” That was the capital city of a realm a far distance away. He doubted that anyone here had done much more than hear about it, let alone actually go there. Even if they had, who was to say that he did or didn’t have a job waiting for him there? 

Even as the guard glanced at Fujiwara, the shadow mage spoke up. “Likewise. Different employers, but we agreed to travel together to lessen expenses and have someone to talk to along the way.” 

The left-hand guard nodded. “Well, we’re on the way. I would suggest you head out the North Gate and cross the Silver Mountains.” He indicated the high range just visible outside of town. “You can get there that way.” 

“Are you intending on staying the night?” The right-hand guard wondered. Edo shrugged. 

“It’s still early in the day and we can get a lot more traveling one if we only take a short break.” 

The left-hand guard nodded. “All right. I would advise stopping at the Silver Swan if you want to rest. They’ve got rooms to offer if you want to stay after all.” 

_Wonder if he’s getting a kickback from suggesting that,_ Edo wondered as the two of them passed through the gates. They weren’t the only new arrivals, most of whom seemed to know where they were going as they entered and headed off in different directions. 

Neither spoke a single word in relation to their true mission or the story they’d spun at the gates. For the duration of their stay here, where other people could overhear, they were simply traveling companions on the way to another realm for a simple job, nothing more and nothing less. 

“There’s the tavern,” Fujiwara said, nodding towards a row of such buildings. Plenty of people wandered in and out there, so neither of them looked especially out of place as they made their way inside. 

Edo tried not to be too nervous. It was difficult to pull that off, given that right now they were effectively in enemy territory. He wondered how long it would take word to get to this town that he’d killed Yuuki Juudai once the deed was done. How many realms had Tradeview been a part of since it was built? 

The buildings themselves looked as if they’d been here for far longer than the realm itself had been. That might mean good things for the people here, or not. 

The Silver Swan was a fine establishment. Edo could tell that as soon as they crossed into it. The common room held about two dozen or so small tables, just large enough for two or three people to fit around them, and each table, crafted of sturdy wood, was scrubbed to a mirror shine. Candles protected by thick glass hung from the ceiling, ensuring that no area was totally hidden in shadows. Edo had seen more than enough taverns that had so many shadows they could be considered part of the dark. 

A wide fireplace took up one end of the common room and on the opposite end there stretched a long table, behind which stood a couple of people, one of whom took orders, while the other brought out small dishes of food and drink. 

Edo sniffed and his stomach roared into life a breath later, reminding him that it had been far too long since he’d had a truly good meal. He wasn’t a great cook and it seemed Fujiwara wasn’t either, so their camp meals had been decent, but not _great_. What he smelled now told him whoever cooked here clearly knew their way around a kitchen. 

The same sound came from Fujiwara, who tucked his head down a little when Edo glanced towards him. 

“We should stay for lunch,” the shadow mage muttered. “It won’t hurt.” 

Edo nodded briefly. As he did, an inn servant approached them. 

“Is there something I can get you gentlemen?” He asked, flicking his wings in the usual greeting that they returned. 

“Tea. Preferably black tea if you have it.” It wouldn’t be as good as what he made at home but it would suffice – he hoped. 

Fujiwara nodded. “For me as well.” Then he hesitated, but only briefly. “What do you have ready to eat?” 

“Our usual meal is fish stew. How’s that?” The servant asked. Edo and Fujiwara both nodded. Fish stew would be more than good enough. “Pick a seat, then, and I’ll be right out with it.” 

The table they chose wasn’t in the best place in the room; at least not by their standards. Edo suspected Fujiwara would prefer a seat with far more shadows. As it was, he had room enough to draw his sword if he needed to, and that would have to do. 

All around them the people chatted amongst themselves. No one seemed worried or disturbed by their presence. There were a few people who were clearly off-duty guards, and Edo presumed if need be they would settle any noisy disputes. 

_This is just the edge of his realm. It’s hard to say how much real influence he has here._ It wasn’t really possible to judge a ruler of such a realm by a town’s actions. It would be much easier once they got to whatever the capital city was. He still hadn’t found out the name. Brron hadn’t cared to give them that much information. 

The servant came over, carrying a tray with two large mugs of steaming hot tea and two bowls of a fish stew that made Edo just want to swallow all of it right away. He held himself back until his own cup and bowl were in front of him, then carefully tasted it. 

_Delicious!_ He had time enough to think that before he started eating, savoring each spoonful. Whatever else he could say, whoever the cook was, they deserved all the praise. 

Partway through the meal, the door opened again, and someone entered. Edo glanced up in time to see a tall figure that he didn’t recognize. Not that he’d expected to recognize anyone. But whoever this was moved towards them with a firm stride. 

“Greetings, gentlemen,” the new arrival said, his voice quiet and cultured. “I see there are few other seats available – might I join you?” 

Edo and Fujiwara exchanged the briefest of glances. It wasn’t unusual for strangers to meet in places like this. But neither of them wanted to make friends here. Turning someone away could bring up too many questions, they both knew. 

“Of course,” Fujiwara said after that quick glance. “Welcome.” Another quick moment of thought passed. “Fujiwara Yuusuke, shadow mage.” 

“Edo Phoenix, warrior,” Edo introduced himself, tilting his head slightly. 

The newcomer’s lips thinned into a tiny smile. A long wash of deep blue hair fell down his shoulders, gleaming in the candlelight. His eyes were as violet as Fujiwara’s, but with a sharpness and intelligence to them, instead of Fujiwara’s semi-sleepiness. “Saiou Takuma. Sorcerer and psychic. Among other duties. A pleasure to meet both of you.” 

* * *

**To Be Continued**

**Notes:** So, Saiou has arrived! What does he want with them?


	4. Chapter 4

**Title:** Wings of Freedom  
 **Characters:** Ryou, Shou, Misawa|| **Ship:** Edo x Saiou, Ryou x Yuusuke, Yubel x Juudai x Johan  
 **Chapters:** 4-51|| **Words:** 2,180|| **Total** 8,316  
 **Genre:** Drama|| **Rated:** PG  
 **Notes:** In this world, the vast majority of sentient life is born with flight-capable wings. It’s not quite like **Sky Stories** though, for a lot of reasons: starting with the fact the world is similar to Dark World in the sense that humans and spirits live together in various realms. As for the rest of it – you’ll see as we go along.  
 **Challenges:** Diversity Writing: YGO wings!AU: L11, completely fictional setting; New Year’s Mini-Advent 2015-2016: randomly generate 3 characters & write a fic about them (Yuusuke, Edo, & Brron); Valentine’s Day to White Day 2016, day #21, pick a random AU [wings!AU]; Advent 2016-2017, day #14, Chapter Set Boot Camp, #25, 51 chapters; Chapter Set Boot Camp, #25, 51 chapters; Christmas Advent 2017, day #22, take two characters who don’t interact & create a scenario where they do (Edo & Yuusuke); Epic Masterclass, #10, the Wild Card  
 **Summary:** Shadow mage Fujiwara Yuusuke and warrior Edo Phoenix are engaged by Brron to bring his wayward son Juudai back to him. Juudai doesn’t want to go back, and vampire Marufuji Ryou and psychic Saiou Takuma, along with his consorts Yubel and Johan, won’t let that happen. Yuusuke and Edo have no idea of what’s in store for them.

Ryou strolled around the castle – if strolled could even be the proper word for a vampire’s predatory stalk. But he wasn’t in any real hurry. In point of fact, he would have far preferred to remain away from where Juudai and Yubel were as long as possible. They would appreciate the time alone, and while he _was_ Juudai’s bodyguard, he could do his job just as well keeping an eye on what else was going on. 

If anyone should actually get close enough to Juudai to hurt him right now, they’d have to deal with Yubel first, and Ryou didn’t think there were that many people who had a chance against the dragon. Sometimes the two of them sparred against one another. Ryou hadn’t won one of those yet. 

He came to a stop at one of the doors that led outside, regarding the beams of sunlight that arched downward. He considered it briefly, fingers tightening, before he set his jaw and stepped out into it. 

For a few moments he simply remained still, hardly able to believe that he wasn’t going up in smoke. But the sunlight lay lightly on his shoulders and warmed his skin. He raised one hand to the flat oval of black onyx that hung around his throat, then moved onward. 

A century ago, he _would_ have died screaming in the sunlight. For that matter, he would have a scant handful of years ago. But so long as he wore that charm, he could face the sun unafraid. 

But he swore he would never count on it. All magic could be negated in some fashion, and if the onyx were ever destroyed, then he would also fall victim to the sunlight should he step out into it. 

It did make doing his job that much easier. He still preferred to sleep during the day and roam around at night, but it wasn’t mandatory the way it had once been. 

The castle had a thriving community of people who went about their normal jobs of cleaning, cooking, and tending without much of an issue. Juudai’s rule was still new and relatively untried – he hadn’t even had to push back a proper attack yet – but he’d worked hard to improve matters for those who ruled over. 

He wouldn’t have been that good about it, in Ryou’s opinion, without the influence of Yubel and Johan. Rune helped as well, as did others. On his own, or with the wrong influences, he would have been a tyrant, or worse, dead. 

“Kaiser-san.” The person who addressed him struck a pang of pain in whatever shriveled mess was left of his own undead heart. How could this person look so much like _him_? 

But he turned regardless to acknowledge the speaker. “Yes?” 

Marufuji Shou – short and with light turquoise blue hair – approached him. He was practically the mirror image of Ryou’s brother, gone for so very long. Ryou tried not to think about that very much. 

“Do you know when Haou-sama might be available to speak to me?” He held a few books in his hands and glanced down at them. “I found some information that he might want to have.” 

Ryou shrugged a little. “I don’t know for certain. He’s busy right now.” He spoke the truth. He didn’t need to specify exactly what Juudai was busy _doing_. 

Shou nodded. “Please let him know as soon as possible. Or if there’s someone else I could speak to?” 

Ryou considered before he nodded slightly. “You might have better luck speaking to Misawa.” The chief researcher probably would know more about how to work with whatever information Shou discovered. “You can find him in the library more often than not.” 

“Thank you.” Shou courteously bent his head and hurried off. Ryou watched him go, keeping his features as composed as only the undead could. 

_It can’t be him but it’s so like him..._ Ryou shook his head and started along back to Juudai’s quarters. His own weren’t that far away and he wanted to check in one last time before getting some rest. 

It couldn’t be his brother. Shou – his _brother_ Shou – had lived to a ripe old age and perished peacefully in his sleep. But he’d left behind children and those children had children of their own. This new Marufuji Shou had to be one of those. So, not brother, not by any chance, but distant nephew? That was entirely possible. 

_He can’t know it’s me._ Ryou decided. He’d reassured himself of that every time their paths crossed since this new Shou had arrived at the castle months earlier. He’d abandoned his human name when he’d become a vampire – more to distance himself from the person he’d once been. Only Juudai, Yubel, and Johan knew it now. Everyone else knew him only as Kaiser or Hell Kaiser. 

He put the thought of having met this new Shout out of his mind and checked in on Juudai. As he’d presumed, the young king lay curled up in Yubel’s arms, his wings tucked safely around him. 

The moment he glanced in, Yubel raised their head to look at him. Yubel didn’t sleep, so far as he knew, and were even more highly aware than he was. Ryou suspected Juudai hired him as bodyguard only so Yubel didn’t have to worry about him all the time. 

“How is he?” Ryou murmured. Yubel glanced at Juudai, sharp draconic features softening as they ran fingers through his hair. 

“Sealing Brron out of the realm took a lot of his energy,” they replied. “He’ll be asleep at least until the day after tomorrow. See to it that he’s not disturbed.” 

Johan and Rune weren’t expected back for a while yet. This would be an easy order to deal with. He nodded his agreement, then turned and slipped away to his own quarters. 

These quarters were set up so even if something happened to his enchanted charm, he would be safe from the sun. Here, regardless of the sun’s presence, he could relax. 

At least vampires didn’t dream. He didn’t think he wanted to right now. 

* * *

Shou tried very hard not to shake as he headed towards the library. There was something so strangely _off_ about the Kaiser. He didn’t seem quite human. 

More than that, he seemed oddly familiar, in a way that Shou couldn’t place and tried not to think too much about. Any time he did, he told himself that he didn't want to do that. The Kaiser might be different but that – that was it. He was just different. Nothing else. 

He tapped on the library door and entered when a half-muffled voice told him to do so. He cast his gaze around until he saw someone seated at a table halfway down the room. 

“Did you want something?” Whoever it was asked. Shou hurried over that way, setting his books down. 

“Are you Misawa-san?” He gasped a little; he’d been carrying those books for a while and they weren’t light. 

The stranger raised his head. Gray eyes glimmered in the lights hanging from the ceiling. He blinked for a moment. “Yes. And you are?” 

“Marufuji Shou, the ambassador from Mosceinia. I brought these with me.” He tapped the books. “They mention a lot of what new realms are expected to do in order to be recognized by other realms, and a lot of history for this area as well.” He hesitated, but only for an interest as he recognized deep interest in the other’s expression. “I thought they would be useful for Haou-sama, but Kaiser-san told me that he’s busy right now and you might be of help.” 

Misawa’s eyes warmed at his words. “I’ll do what I can.” Quite the pleased smile hovered over his lips before he reached for the first of the books. 

Shou settled down into an empty chair and watched as Misawa quickly read through the book. He’d been assigned ambassador for many reasons, but none of those had anything to do with being able to do much with what was in those books. He wasn’t even sure if he understood all of them. They _had_ been written nearly five hundred years earlier, and if his realm wasn’t home to some of the most famed scholars and mages in the entire world, they likely wouldn’t have lasted all this time. 

His thoughts drifted back to his encounter with the Kaiser. He’d heard that the mysterious man was Haou-sama’s bodyguard. Shou hadn’t seen anything to deny that, but one of those deep instincts told him the other should do something else. Exactly _what_ he didn’t have the faintest idea of, only that it should be something else. 

And wasn’t he oddly pale? Perhaps some people were just complected that way, but Shou didn’t think that was it. It looked to be the kind of pale that came from seldom seeing the sun, and in Shou’s experience, most warriors and bodyguard types tended to get far more sun and exercise than scholarly types did. 

The man was a contradiction and that tugged at every instinct that Shou had. 

“How accurate are these books considered?” Misawa asked unexpectedly. Shou jerked himself out of his musings and focused on the present. 

“Very accurate. Our realm prides itself on accurate record-keeping.” Shou eyed the book that Misawa had in his hands now. “I think that one is rumored to have been written by the last king of Kuragari’s grandson.” 

Kuragari – a name most people thought of as mythical, an airy remnant that hadn’t existed in a thousand years. Tales told of it having fallen in battle, the royal family slaughtered, and the region of the realm scattered among nearby realms. 

Misawa nodded slowly. “I’d like to keep these here so I can read them over more slowly. Then I can present the information to His Majesty.” 

Shou lit up. “Would you? That would be wonderful!” That meant _he_ didn’t have to talk to Haou-sama. If Kaiser made him nervous, then Haou-sama could spark nightmares just by his existence. Shou had already spoken to him once before when he’d arrived at the castle. He wasn’t looking forward to doing it again. 

“Of course.” Misawa tugged the books over to himself, running one hand over them. “I’ve never seen anything like these. So old and yet so strong – readable. Most books this old are falling apart due to their age.” 

“It’s magic,” Shou told him. “All of our books – especially history books – are enchanted to remain intact no matter what. They can’t be destroyed.” 

“How do they do that?” Misawa raised one hand to indicate the shelves stocked with books all around them. “We always have to worry about fire or worse around here.” 

“I don’t know.” Shou shook his head, glancing down. “That’s – that’s mage knowledge. I’m not a mage.” The words tasted like fire and poison on his tongue. He scrambled himself to his feet. “Thank you for your time, Misawa-san. I can ask for more books from home if you need them.” 

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Misawa agreed with a nod, his attention clearly wanting to get back to the books. Shou could take a hint and hurried out of the room as fast as he could. 

_I’m not a mage._ He hated having to admit that. He knew that it wasn’t that unusual, especially outside of his home realm. But he _hated_ having to say it. He knew if he hadn’t left, Misawa would have asked the question he got asked every time. 

_How can you be from Mosceinia and **not** be a mage?_

Mosceinia, the realm ruled by mages, populated by mage, where out of every ten births, nine had _some_ kind of magic. 

Shou was the tenth birth, the one who had no magic, the one who had to do everything the hard way. His parents had been more than a little ashamed that their only child couldn’t so much as light a candle without the help of mundane tools. They’d sent him to the best schools they could, in the hopes he would develop one of the rarer gifts, such as being able to control water when they lived nowhere near any water source larger than a lake or to speak to animals that didn’t live in their area. Perhaps seeing the wider world would open up his talents. 

It hadn’t. All it did was make him want to leave, to live out where he could do some good for his realm. This was the best he could get – ambassador to a slowly building realm that would probably fall to inside treachery or outside invasion within a decade no matter what. 

Unless what those books said – no. Shou didn’t want to fall prey to hope. Even if it was true, then it didn’t mean anything for _him_. If it were true, he’d be called back home and sent to some other fledgling realm, until something happened and he just never came home again. 

And he would live with that. At least until he didn’t live at all. 

* * *

**To Be Continued**

**Notes:** Sorry I missed updating yesterday but I was a bit more tired than I thought I would be. So, I’m sure you can guess the situation between Ryou and Shou. I’m not being very subtle about that. 

Also, I’m thinking of starting to add chapter summaries to my fics, as opposed to just one total summary. At least while they’re still being posted. Also, would you, my readers, like to see new chapters for my currently existing WIPs as I write them or wait until they’re finished?


	5. Chapter 5

**Title:** Wings of Freedom  
 **Characters:** Saiou, Edo, Yuusuke|| **Ship:** Edo x Saiou, Ryou x Yuusuke, Yubel x Juudai x Johan  
 **Chapters:** 5-51|| **Words:** 2,151|| **Total** 10,467  
 **Genre:** Drama|| **Rated:** PG  
 **Notes:** In this world, the vast majority of sentient life is born with flight-capable wings. It’s not quite like **Sky Stories** though, for a lot of reasons: starting with the fact the world is similar to Dark World in the sense that humans and spirits live together in various realms. As for the rest of it – you’ll see as we go along.  
 **Challenges:** Diversity Writing: YGO wings!AU: L11, completely fictional setting; New Year’s Mini-Advent 2015-2016: randomly generate 3 characters & write a fic about them (Yuusuke, Edo, & Brron); Valentine’s Day to White Day 2016, day #21, pick a random AU [wings!AU]; Advent 2016-2017, day #14, Chapter Set Boot Camp, #25, 51 chapters; Chapter Set Boot Camp, #25, 51 chapters; Christmas Advent 2017, day #22, take two characters who don’t interact & create a scenario where they do (Edo & Yuusuke); Epic Masterclass, #10, the Wild Card  
 **Summary:** Shadow mage Fujiwara Yuusuke and warrior Edo Phoenix are engaged by Brron to bring his wayward son Juudai back to him. Juudai doesn’t want to go back, and vampire Marufuji Ryou and psychic Saiou Takuma, along with his consorts Yubel and Johan, won’t let that happen. Yuusuke and Edo have no idea of what’s in store for them.

* * *

Saiou settled down onto the backless chair, wings the same shade of blue as his hair spread slightly for balance. Edo’s gaze flicked over him carefully, searching for any sign that he’d lied about what he was. There were some who claimed less or more talent than they had, for whatever reasons. He’d long since learned not to take anything at face value. 

But this man seemed to be what he said. He wasn’t overly muscled, so he likely didn’t spent a great deal of time exercising, and Edo also spied a well-worn deck of cards, likely used in his claimed psychic activities. 

Saiou’s lips curved to a tiny smile. “Do I pass your judgment, good sir?” 

Edo tried not to blush. There wasn’t any reason to. But it had been a very long time since he’d seen anyone who was quite this infernally attractive, and he reminded himself sharply that he had a mission that needed to be carried out. 

Though perhaps afterward – no. Once he was done, he and his father would be as far from here as they could manage, and let the people here sort out their own problems. 

Saiou waved to the nearest servant and ordered a cup of hot tea. While he did that, Edo sipped his own drink and fought his wayward instincts back under control. 

“Are you traveling as well?” Fujiwara asked. “I don’t believe I’ve encountered another magic-user on our journey.” 

“One might say that,” Saiou agreed. “I came to town on a task for my employer. I’ll return home soon enough.” 

Edo regarded him thoughtfully – at least as best that he could. He didn’t know this man but his instincts said that he _wanted_ to know him, to spend more time around him. It made no logical sense at all. 

“What sort of task?” Edo wondered. He watched every word that wished to depart his lips carefully. The slightest hint of their real mission could spell doom for them both. 

“Oh, nothing very much.” Saiou shook his head. “Only conveying a message.” 

“A strange task for a sorcerer and psychic of your power to be set, when any common messenger could do it,” Fujiwara said, leaning forward. Edo had to agree. Something didn’t gel right there. 

But Saiou didn’t so much as flick a hair or a feather. “Oh, they couldn’t. Finding the ones who need this message requires my special skills.” The servant arrived with his tea and Saiou accepted it with a polite nod. “But I enjoy getting out and taking care of matters like this. They can provide unexpected rewards and I don’t get out as much as I would like otherwise.” 

Something about this just didn’t feel right to Edo. He couldn’t put his finger on it, but the words seemed almost like a warning. But what could they be warning of? 

This might be an opportunity, he decided. They did need more information about what matter were like in this realm. 

“We’ve heard that this realm isn’t that old,” he said at least, picking his words. “Only a handful of years. But from what we’ve seen of it, it’s very well put together. I’ve seen older realms that aren’t nearly this organized.” 

Saiou nodded. “Haou-sama is very good about that. 

“He’s not very experienced, though, is he?” Fujiwara sounded as if he were genuinely curious. “Or so I’ve heard.” 

“It depends on how you look at it,” Saiou said, shifting easily as he took a long sip of his drink. “He’s a very special person, in many ways. And he grew up in Brron’s realm, which I believe gave him a very thorough grounding in how _not_ to rule a realm.” 

Edo tapped his fingers on the table. There were so many questions that he wanted to ask but most of them were ones that a harmless traveling warrior couldn’t ask. Finally he made up his mind. “I wouldn’t have thought that it was that easy to break away from Brron. He’s not exactly the most forgiving of people.” 

Fujiwara made a soft noise that Edo interpreted as absolute agreement. Saiou didn’t seem to notice it, however. 

“That is very true,” he replied instead. “But Haou-sama protects himself as well as the realm itself. No one who serves Brron can enter into his territory without Haou-sama being aware of it.” 

Edo tensed and pressed his lips together for a heartbeat before he smiled. It was a fake smile but a very good one – he’d practiced being able to do convincing smiles for a long time. A warrior learned the use of many weapons, and facial expressions were definitely in his arsenal. 

“What would he do if he found someone coming from there?” Perhaps, send a sorcerer to deal with them? To turn them into stone or frogs or whatever it was a sorcerer could do? 

Saiou laughed, a silvery sound that sent shivers all through Edo. “Heavens, I don’t know. It’s never happened before.” 

Edo swore to himself, keeping a pleasant smile plastered on his face regardless. Time to change the subject to something more useful. 

“I’ve heard that he wields powerful dark magic,” Fujiwara leaned forward as he spoke, a hint of processional curiosity in his words. “I haven’t met many other shadow mages since I left school.” 

“Oh, I wouldn’t call him a shadow mage. He’s – different. Saiou shrugged, regarding his tea cup before he sipped again. “I truly don’t think there are words for what he is. Not in that way. But I would definitely call him powerful – and someone to be watched out for.” 

Was that a warning? Did Saiou mean for them to be afraid of Haou and leave the realm? 

As if they could do that. Brron’s hostages would pay for it if they so much as considered it. Edo rearranged himself, getting more comfortable, and thinking as hard and fast as he could. 

“What are the warriors here like? I’ve seen a few but nothing like what he must keep by his side.” Who would he have to cut his way through to get Haou’s head? 

“He has plenty of warriors to defend himself. But I haven’t seen them myself.” Saiou tilted his head back. “I spend my time in my tower, when not out delivering messages. It’s really quite pleasant and quiet there.” His violet eyes shifted over to Fujiwara. “There are even areas of deep shadow there, and rooms underground where no light penetrates. Several of those who serve Haou-sama are quite appreciative of the darkness.” 

Edo wasn’t used yet to reading Fujiwara’s expressions but he thought the shadow mage looked more than a little fascinated there. 

“I suppose that I should be going, though.” Saiou set his empty cup down and rose up to his feet. “Do be careful, the both of you, on your journey.” Those eyes of his regarded Edo and Fujiwara quite carefully. Edo had the very strong sensation that Saiou knew far more than he was actually going to tell about anything. 

That worried him. He didn’t want to have to kill anyone else, though he had long since come to terms with the fact that he would probably have to on this mission. But he didn’t want to kill those who weren’t in the way and as of right now, Saiou wasn’t. 

“And before I go,” Saiou continued, his attention shifting between the two of them. “It’s time to deliver my message.” 

Edo froze in his seat. One hand started to rest on his nearest dagger but he couldn’t make himself move more than the smallest bit. 

“Bring no harm to Haou-sama. It will not end well if you make an attempt. Brron lies to you – you both know that.” Saiou regarded Edo. “But if you choose to continue, know that you take your lives into your own hands. Should his bodyguard fail to stop you – which he would not – then you would face Haou’s consort.” 

Edo could have sworn Saiou's eyes moved towards Fujiwara, and a ghost of a smile hovered over his lips. 

“You would far rather face Haou’s bodyguard than his consort.” 

Saiou nodded in satisfaction, then before either of them could move again, he was gone. Edo hadn’t seen him go through the door. He was there one moment and not the next. 

His muscles relaxed at last and he shared a quick glance with Fujiwara before they both finished their drinks and hurried out. Edo glanced this way and that, but he saw no sign whatsoever of Saiou. 

Neither of them said a word as they moved through town, heading for the North Gate. Both kept calm expressions, at least until they departed the gates and were able to take off again. Only when they’d traveled for a good quarter of an hour did Edo let himself say anything. 

“How did he know? I know we haven’t told _anyone_ in this realm what we’re doing here.” 

“He’s a sorcerer,” Fujiwara pointed out. “There are many ways he could have learned it. He also claims to be a psychic. He could have known our mission before we were ever given it.” 

Edo snarled a few words under his breath that should have set fire to the trees underneath him. He forged forward, air rushing past his ears, and tried to get his thoughts sorted out. 

_We didn’t learn much, but it was enough. Haou has a bodyguard and a consort. The consort is more dangerous than the bodyguard._

Perhaps they could have learned more if they could have asked more questions, but Edo trusted he’d made the right call. There would be other places to get more trustworthy information. 

“We should find out more about the bodyguard,” Fujiwara said thoughtfully. “I’ll see what I can learn tonight.” 

Edo nodded; every little bit of information they could acquire would be useful. Then he frowned. “Are you going to be able to? Didn’t you say that Haou is a lot more powerful than you are.” 

“Yes. But that was trying to penetrate into the realm itself, where he’s set up a barrier. I’m going to do something different.” Fujiwara offered a tiny, thin-lipped smile. “Truth to tell, I can’t even be sure what of my magics will work here. But I will try.” 

That was all that either of them could do. 

Saiou's words still hung in the back of Edo’s thoughts. Of course they knew that Brron lied to them. The best they could manage was to do the task as quickly as possible, just in case there was some way around it. 

_Why would he warn us? What does it matter to him?_ Edo worried at that. _If he knows we were sent by Brron, then why not report it to Haou and let him send troops to take us out?_

Why give them a chance to change their minds and leave? It didn’t make sense and because of that Edo couldn’t stop thinking about it. He wanted to see Saiou again, to talk to him, to ask him what was going on. 

Did Saiou actually work for Haou? He’d never said that he did or didn’t, only vaguely referring to an employer. But the message – if that hadn’t been a lie, then it was direct to them. There were too many mysteries here and Edo wasn’t enjoying them. 

If Saiou _did_ work for Haou, then was he in the area? Would this be the right way to go? Flight was fast, but some routes were shorter than others regardless. Saiou could be watching them even now, waiting for them to fall into whatever trap he’d laid should they not take his advice. 

It didn’t make for very peaceful flying, with Edo watching for the slightest hint of an ambush. What made it even more frustrating was that nothing at all happened. They saw a few other folk on journeys of their own, but aside from the usual courteous greetings, nothing happened. Down on the ground, they spied a wagon train making its way across a road. Land-bound trains weren’t unknown; wings were a clear mark of intelligence and sentience in any species, but goods still had to be moved from one point to another and large loads of goods were best moved overland, not by air. 

_Maybe we could hide on one of those?_ Sometimes travelers did hire on as guards for such caravans, especially talented travelers like he and Fujiwara. It wouldn’t be that suspicious. All they needed to do was find one that was going their way. It would be much safer than staying on their own and getting ambushed somewhere. 

He made up his mind to bring the question up for Fujiwara later, while they camped for the night. Until then, he kept a sharp eye out. But he couldn’t have said if he watched for trouble or if he watched for Saiou. 

* * *

**To Be Continued**

**Notes:** Saiou knows how to make an impression, doesn’t he?


	6. Chapter 6

**Title:** Wings of Freedom  
 **Characters:** Saiou, Mizuchi, Edo, Yuusuke|| **Ship:** Edo x Saiou, Ryou x Yuusuke, Yubel x Juudai x Johan  
 **Chapters:** 6-51|| **Words:** 2,083|| **Total** 12,550  
 **Genre:** Drama|| **Rated:** PG  
 **Notes:** In this world, the vast majority of sentient life is born with flight-capable wings. It’s not quite like **Sky Stories** though, for a lot of reasons: starting with the fact the world is similar to Dark World in the sense that humans and spirits live together in various realms. As for the rest of it – you’ll see as we go along.  
 **Challenges:** Diversity Writing: YGO wings!AU: L11, completely fictional setting; New Year’s Mini-Advent 2015-2016: randomly generate 3 characters & write a fic about them (Yuusuke, Edo, & Brron); Valentine’s Day to White Day 2016, day #21, pick a random AU [wings!AU]; Advent 2016-2017, day #14, Chapter Set Boot Camp, #25, 51 chapters; Chapter Set Boot Camp, #25, 51 chapters; Christmas Advent 2017, day #22, take two characters who don’t interact & create a scenario where they do (Edo & Yuusuke); Epic Masterclass, #10, the Wild Card  
 **Summary:** Shadow mage Fujiwara Yuusuke and warrior Edo Phoenix are engaged by Brron to bring his wayward son Juudai back to him. Juudai doesn’t want to go back, and vampire Marufuji Ryou and psychic Saiou Takuma, along with his consorts Yubel and Johan, won’t let that happen. Yuusuke and Edo have no idea of what’s in store for them.

* * *

Saiou’s gaze followed the warrior and the shadow mage as they flew out of town. While he had many skills, the reading of minds so far distant wasn’t one of them. He did know that the warrior had been more than a little surprised by his words. He hadn’t been able to stay long enough to get more than that. 

But perhaps he would have another change later. He was already quite aware that he and the warrior – Edo Phoenix – would meet again the future. He wasn’t as of yet certain of the circumstances of that meeting. But he knew that it would happen. 

“Brother?” Mizuchi spoke from where she stood next to him. “Have you finished your task?” Her lips quirked. “Or did you want to watch him a little longer?” 

Saiou didn’t _think_ he was blushing, but he quickly averted his eyes from the distant form of the warrior. 

“I’ve done what I came to do,” he assured her. “What about you?” 

She nodded, raising the small bag of spell ingredients. “I have everything I wanted.” 

Together the two of them headed out of town, wings unfurling as they took to the air. Saiou took care to wrap them both in invisibility once they were out of sight. It wasn’t that unusual for ambushes to occur and while they could easily protect themselves, he was of the opinion that the best defense was never to be attacked in the first place. 

It meant that he didn’t have to waste more of his magical energies convincing any attackers that they were actually a rutabaga and should go quietly molder in a corner somewhere. 

“Brother?” Mizuchi’s voice was soft to the point he almost didn’t hear her. He glanced over to see what she wanted and wasn’t surprised to see her watching him as they swept along. “Why did you want to speak to them?” 

He’d not told her. He hadn’t told anyone. He probably _should_ have told Juudai but he didn’t think it was anything that Juudai needed to worry about. He might tell Yubel or Hell Kaiser – both of them were responsible for Juudai’s safety, so should be made aware of potential assassins. 

“I had a vision,” he replied, careful with which words he chose. He refused to lie to her, unless he had no other choice. “Those two are from Brron.” 

Mizuchi’s eyes narrowed at once, before shifting in the direction the warrior and shadow mage had long since vanished in. “Assassins?” 

“That is what he sent them for,” Saiou agreed. He tilted his wings, taking advantage of a warm updraft. Before she could say anything else, he continued. “I don’t believe they’re very committed to the task. They can be swayed.” 

“And that’s what you were doing? Swaying them?” Mizuchi wanted to know. He nodded. 

“A few words where they could do good for now. Perhaps more later.” Saiou knew the two would turn up again. Those words weren’t enough to change their minds – he knew very well that Brron held something over their heads in order to force them onto this dangerous mission. And dangerous it would be. 

If they faced Hell Kaiser, then they would likely become prey to his hunger. Hell Kaiser didn’t like to feed wantonly, but in the defense of Juudai, he would do what he needed to do. If somehow they defeated Ryou – which Saiou didn’t expect, but one couldn’t discount a shadow mage – then they would face Yubel, and so far as Saiou knew, Yubel could not be destroyed. 

There were other methods that could be used, of course. Saiou had wondered if they could be bound in some fashion, unable to defend Juudai. He would bring that up to them when the opportunity arose. If these two could somehow get past both Hell Kaiser and Yubel, they had to face Juudai himself. 

If matters reached that point, Saiou suspected that everything would get _very_ messy. 

He didn’t even want to think about how much worse it would be if Johan got involved. 

In the handful of heartbeats his thoughts had taken, Mizuchi hadn’t taken her eyes off of him. He spied the tiny quirk of her lisp that told how amused she was and refused to say anything else about it. Not that there was anything else to say at all. 

It wasn’t as if the memory of that pale warrior didn’t linger in his mind – silver bright hair, hard blue eyes, and _such_ an open mind. Clearly he wasn’t used to defending himself against sorcerers or psychics of any kind. Anyone could just walk right in and rearrange his mind in whatever way suited them best. 

_I should fix that. Help him._ Saiou found himself thinking. He wasn’t used to such an open mind around him. Everyone at Juudai’s castle knew better than to wear their minds out of their sleeves, especially around him. 

“So when will you see him again? What was his name?” 

It wasn’t often that Saiou failed to think a question all the way through. But he already had something else on his mind – or more precisely, someone else – and so it took him a few moments to fully process what Mizuchi said. Before he realized it, he’d already answered. 

“Edo Phoenix.” 

Mizuchi chuckled lightly, a very knowing gleam to her eyes. Saiou blinked for a moment, wings fluttering a trifle faster than necessary, and now he knew for certain that he turned a deep blazing red. 

Mizuchi said nothing else, though. She merely nodded and turned her full attention back to her flight, seeking to return home as swiftly as they could. 

Saiou wasn’t going to complain about that. The flight gave him time to get himself quieted down. He thought he would need that very soon indeed. 

* * *

Camp tonight was like camp any other night. Dry wood was gathered for the fire and they both ate a modest meal, with both keeping their thoughts to themselves as they did. Edo’s ranged back to the conversation with Saiou, with occasional flickers into how damnably attractive he was. That wasn’t right at all. But he could do nothing else about it. 

Yuusuke kept his thoughts more or less on what he would need to do in order to scry on the bodyguard. It wasn’t going to be easy. Earlier he’d searched for a way to get them directly to the capital of the realm. Haou’s darkness prevented that; it swallowed up his own without so much as a flicker. 

But now he planned something else. Scrying could be blocked, as he well knew. But whether it _was_ blocked was another thing altogether. 

As the flames burned down to coals, he settled himself, removing his favorite crystal from his pack. It was a sphere of pure black, round as the moon, solid and weighty in his hand. He warmed it between his hands, focusing on the deepest depths, clearing his mind. 

If he’d had a name or if he knew exactly what this mysterious bodyguard looked like, then this would be a great deal easier. All he had to go on now was the faintest thought that somewhere out there, there _was_ a bodyguard. Someone powerful enough to guard someone like Haou, who shouldn’t have required a bodyguard at all. 

He could feel the darkness, the shadows that weren’t his own. They seethed and roiled about, concealing so much. This was a black on scrying, he thought, but not his in particular. Someone else was barred. The shadows brushed against him with ephemeral fingers that sank into him, voices that he could hear and not understand murmuring low and distant, as if his ears were stuffed with cotton. 

He’d never felt anything like this before. The amount of power that this represented – he’d never even known a shadow mage could exist with this much power. He’d always been told that while the shadows could grant great power, mortals could only accept and deal with so much. Even he, who had Honest for a guardian, had his limits. 

But the power here was ten times, a thousand times that which he’d ever even considered approaching. His power didn’t even come close to the edges of it. 

Above all else, he craved the chance to _speak_ to Haou, to find out how he could do this. Brron told them of the monster that Haou “kept company” with, that had twisted his mind away from what Brron wanted. 

Yuusuke read that as “the one who convinced him to strike out and find his own path”. Yuusuke couldn’t see why in the world someone who had that much power would want anything to do with Brron. 

“Anything?” He almost didn’t recognize the voice. He’d sunk so deep into the scrying and the shadows that the rest of the world failed to exist. Who it was slowly crept back into his awareness – Edo – his partner on this mission. He sought the bodyguard because of what Saiou said to him and to Edo. 

And partly – strangely – to him. Yuusuke wasn’t fully certain of that, but when he thought back, the phrasing did seem a trifle strange. And interesting. 

But he needed to answer. Slowly he tried to remember how to make words in the human fashion. Touching the shadows this deeply wasn’t ever easy. Normally he had Honest to keep him grounded, but without his partner… 

He managed. He dragged each word out, hearing them fall from his lips like tiny pieces of stone. 

“Too dark.” It wasn’t often that he could say that. 

He thought Edo said something else but he couldn’t get a grip on it. The darkness circled closer, more of those tiny tendrils wrapping around him and his crystal and everything else. No one could see the shadows but him – Edo would see only the normal darkness of the evening. 

He needed to stop this, to get back to the real world. But the shadows hated to let him go. They always had. So often there seemed to be a presence in there, beckoning, offering everything he’d ever wanted and never wanted to believe that he wanted… 

These shadows didn’t offer that. There was awareness there but different from what he’d felt before. This awareness could be called many things – warm, distant, protective. The other darkness had been something else entirely. Yuusuke wasn’t even sure if he had words for it. 

Perhaps he would have listened to that darkness a little more if he didn’t have to worry about Honest. With his partner in captivity, he had to do what he could to set him free. 

Bit by bit he dragged himself away from the shadows, shaking the tiny bits of them away and wiping them off the crystal. He dragged in a deep breath and tried to form a few coherent thoughts. 

“Here.” Edo dropped a chunk of bread into his lap, followed by a few slices of roasted squirrel – leftovers from their meal. It took Yuusuke a moment to realize just how hungry he was and quickly started eating. 

Doing so helped him shake off the last remnants of the shadows and focus on what was going on again. He regarded Edo curiously. 

“How did you know I needed that?” Eating was one of the best ways to focus one’s mind on the outside world after scrying the way that he had. Often Honest had made certain to have a meal ready for him when he’d been working with his magics. 

“It just makes sense,” Edo said with a shrug. “You looked like you were really out of it and I figured it couldn’t hurt.” 

Yuusuke nodded. He certainly wasn’t going to argue. He regarded the meat and bread thoughtfully. “I still couldn’t find anything out about the bodyguard. Haou’s darkness – it’s deeper than I ever imagined. 

There weren’t words for it all. At least not ones that he could speak with his mouth. 

Edo only nodded, settling back on his side of the banked fire, folding his wings around himself. Yuusuke stretched his own wings in and out; they were as stiff as his arms and legs were. 

“I don’t think I can find out anything about the bodyguard unless I actually see him or learn his name,” he said at last. “That darkness won’t let me.” Too seductive for a shadow mage. He wondered what good he could really do on this mission – and wondered why he’d been sent on it in the first place. 

* * *

**To Be Continued**

**Notes:** Yuusuke is a shadow mage. Juudai is **darkness itself**. It’s the difference between a candle flame and a supernova – or a common shadow and the darkness that exists when there is no light. Doesn’t make either of them evil, of course.


	7. Chapter 7

**Title:** Wings of Freedom  
 **Characters:** Ryou, Saiou, Johan, Rei|| **Ship:** Edo x Saiou, Ryou x Yuusuke, Yubel x Juudai x Johan  
 **Chapters:** 7-51|| **Words:** 2,072|| **Total** 14,622  
 **Genre:** Drama|| **Rated:** PG  
 **Notes:** In this world, the vast majority of sentient life is born with flight-capable wings. It’s not quite like **Sky Stories** though, for a lot of reasons: starting with the fact the world is similar to Dark World in the sense that humans and spirits live together in various realms. As for the rest of it – you’ll see as we go along.  
 **Challenges:** Diversity Writing: YGO wings!AU: L11, completely fictional setting; New Year’s Mini-Advent 2015-2016: randomly generate 3 characters & write a fic about them (Yuusuke, Edo, & Brron); Valentine’s Day to White Day 2016, day #21, pick a random AU [wings!AU]; Advent 2016-2017, day #14, Chapter Set Boot Camp, #25, 51 chapters; Chapter Set Boot Camp, #25, 51 chapters; Christmas Advent 2017, day #22, take two characters who don’t interact & create a scenario where they do (Edo & Yuusuke); Epic Masterclass, #10, the Wild Card  
 **Summary:** Shadow mage Fujiwara Yuusuke and warrior Edo Phoenix are engaged by Brron to bring his wayward son Juudai back to him. Juudai doesn’t want to go back, and vampire Marufuji Ryou and psychic Saiou Takuma, along with his consorts Yubel and Johan, won’t let that happen. Yuusuke and Edo have no idea of what’s in store for them.

* * *

Ryou’s stomach didn’t rumble when he was hungry these days. But he certainly felt hunger – or thirst. He didn’t really know what he should call it. It didn’t always seem to be one or the other. More often than not, what he felt was a strange blending of the two. It came to the same result in the end. He felt a sensation that told him he needed to go and feed on living blood. 

Before he did, he made certain that everything was all right with his leaving. Yubel still remained curled around Juudai, who’d barely moved in the ensuing hours that Ryou rested. He checked with the captain of the guard – everything was good there. 

Satisfied that he could go take care of his needs, he started to head out. Before he’d reached the exit, however, something in his pocket warmed. He bit back a sigh and fished out the slender silver pad. With a brush of one finger, the pad fogged up, then cleared, revealing Saiou’s familiar features. 

“Is there a problem?” There probably was. Saiou didn’t contact him unless there _was_ a problem, or at least something Ryou should deal with. 

“In a sense.” Behind Saiou Ryou could see mountains – he was at least two days away from the castle, at the swiftest speed that he could fly. Ryou would be able to cover the distance between Haou’s castle and there more quickly, if he needed to. But that was the difference between a human’s wings and a vampire’s. 

“Explain.” He needed to feed, but he suspected that duty called, and duty would always come first. 

Saiou began. From the first word, Ryou paid strict attention. Brron was once again up to his nasty tricks, sending assassins to make an attempt on Juudai’s life. A warrior and a shadow mage. 

That was sort of – interesting. Ryou had heard of shadow mages and even met a few. Camula had kept on in her court for years before getting bored with her and turning the mage into one of her thralls. Ryou hadn’t ever spent much time with the mage, but he’d not heard of such a person again until now. 

“If what I picked up from them is correct, then they’ll continue on until they reach the castle,” Saiou told him. “You’d best be careful. I don’t think they are aware of your special nature but that could change between now and then.” 

Ryou nodded. He’d gone out of his way to never let anyone who didn’t _need_ to know about him know. Assassins most definitely need to know. 

It wouldn’t be the first time he’d drained someone dry who attacked one that he’d pledged to protect. Nor did he think it would be the last. 

“Their names are Edo Phoenix and Fujiwara Yuusuke,” Saiou told him. “They are not bad people – only forced into this by Brron. I think they could be very useful allies if their ties to him can be broken.” 

The side of Ryou’s mouth quirked. “He would keep those ties very strong. Do you know what they are?” 

“Not as of yet. I didn’t spend enough time with them to get all the details and my divinations haven’t told me either.” Saiou didn’t look very pleased about that either. “But I will continue to work on it and if I uncover anything, I’ll inform you.” 

Ryou nodded. He had a minimum of two days to get ready for this attack. It could even be more – the assassins wouldn’t necessarily rush to get there. That would please him all the more; the longer he had the easier it would be to deal with the situation. Saiou having informed him meant he had time to strategize. 

“I feel I’m keeping you from your dinner.” Saiou lifted one hand into view. “How is Haou-sama, by the way?” 

“Resting. He had to push back Brron attempting to spy on him.” Ryou considered that. It probably had something to do with those assassins, now that he thought about it. Checking their progress? Wanting to know if Juudai were already dead? “He won’t wake up until tomorrow. Yubel’s watching him.” 

Saiou nodded thoughtfully. “I’ll speak to him when Mizuchi and I return. Is there anything else going on there that we should know about?” 

“Nothing that I’m aware of,” Ryou said with a shake of his head. There were a few minor things, such as whatever Ambassador Marufuji had wanted to speak of, but that wasn’t in Saiou’s purview. 

“Very well. Farewell, then.” Saiou gestured at his own silver tablet and the image faded away. 

Ryou considered his, then touched a small image on the screen. Everyone who had one of these enchanted communication tablets had an image to represent them. His was a sphere of shadow, as he was a ‘creature of the night’, as the commoners referred to vampires in Camula’s realm. Juudai’s was a sphere of bright gold, much like his eyes when he used his powers. Saiou’s was a pair of brilliant violet eyes, much like his true eyes that pierced the veil of past and future 

There were others, but now the one he activated was a glimmering bright rainbow. In a moment, Johan’s face appeared on the tablet. 

“Something wrong, Hell Kaiser?” Haou’s human consort wanted to know. Ryou shrugged. 

“I don’t know if wrong is the correct word to use,” he said, before filling Johan in on everything Saiou had told him. These tablets allowed for quick communication between all of those who had them. Certainly easier than what he remembered from his long ago youth. 

Johan listened, as did his twin brother. Rune didn’t have one of these himself, but he’d never needed one. He and Johan were seldom far apart. To call one was to call both of them. 

“We’re almost done here,” Johan said once Ryou finished catching him up. “Once we get it all wrapped up, we’ll head back home. By the time those assassins get there, we’ll be ready.” 

Ryou nodded, a hint of his fangs showing in his pleasure. Johan glowered at him. 

“Go get something to eat.” 

Ryou didn’t need the encouragement. He bid farewell, then dismissed the connection and put the tablet away before leaping out into the night. 

It was good out there. Not too hot and not too cold – though he hadn’t noticed many temperature extremes since his turning. He never fed from the castle staff, or from anyone in the nearest villages. It was part of the pact that he’d made with Juudai when entering his service. 

So he journeyed as fast as he could, heading with all speed to the next realm. Most people couldn’t have reached that realm at their top speed, because even with wings, they needed to rest and eat. Ryou had no such needs. He blurred across the land, pushing himself at his top movement until he’d crossed into the city of Wraxsall. 

He’d always thought the name very fitting, since this city could easily be described as one of the worst in the known realms. Perhaps in the top ten – and high on that ranking as well. It was called a city but only for the amount of people here and the size. It held nothing of grace or beauty or to help those who needed it. 

Here the rich sneered down on those who were not as rich as they – which did happen in many places, but here more so than most places. Few here had any sense of style or anything other than showing off their ill-gotten gains in the most flamboyant and ridiculous ways that they could manage. 

Ryou didn’t come here often. But whenever he felt the urge to feed a little more sharply than usual he found his way here. Even if he’d been seen, most observers would either ignore him or demand some form of payment to keep their silence. 

Ryou had only one form of payment and those he offered it to never asked him for anything else ever again. Nor did they ask anyone else. 

By now it was almost midnight. He strolled the dark streets, avoiding those areas where moonlight and starlight fell, mostly to avoid being seen at all. No one from here had ever entered Juudai’s realm but he’d survived all this time by not taking unnecessary chances. 

There would have been more people here if he’d chosen to slake his thirst during the daylight. With Juudai’s charm to protect him, he could even have done so safely. But he didn’t like being far away from home in the event anything happened with the charm. 

Noise up ahead caught his attention. Ryou leaped to the nearest slate roof and crept forward until he saw what was going on. The source of the noise seemed to be a business of some kind. A light burned outside and in that light he saw two figures, one large and one small. The larger one brought down a long, thick branch onto the smaller one’s shoulders and back. 

“I’m sorry! I’m sorry!” A young, thin voice cracked. Ryou couldn’t tell if this were male or female, but he didn’t think that it mattered. 

“Shut up! I told you to watch the fire and you let it burn out! How am I supposed to get the baking done now?” The taller figure brought down the branch once more – or attempted to. 

Ryou moved forward, far too quickly for any human eye to have followed even if one had seen him in the first place. One hand closed around the arm that brought the branch down, stopping the beater in his tracks, and took the branch away. 

He hated touching wood. But as long as it didn’t penetrate his heart, he could tolerate it. He threw the branch away quickly, tensing as the whiff of blood on the wood teased at his nostrils. 

The one who’d been being beaten stared up at him, while the other glared. “Who do you think you are? It’s my right to punish my apprentice as I see fit! Not that he even deserves to be an apprentice. Layabout, never completes a single task that I give him, too stupid to even keep the fire going, the _simplest_ task!” 

He started to draw in a breath to keep going. His apprentice interrupted. “I kept the fire going! Your son came in, _drunk again_ , and kept me busy until it went out!” 

Again the baker – Ryou could scent flour and other such tools of the trade on him – raised one hand to strike. Ryou didn’t wait anymore. He simply darted his head forward, burying his fangs in the baker’s throat. 

The apprentice gasped, hands clenching together, large eyes going even larger as Ryou drank. Ryou enjoyed the taste, but didn’t drink the donor dry. He wanted as few people as possible to know that a vampire even existed in the area. 

The baker dropped in his grasp, eyes glazed over. Ryou nudged him back inside of his bakery. The man wandered in, door closing behind him. Ryou glanced at the apprentice, who stared at him. 

“You – you _bit_ him?” The boy squeaked. “You – you’re a _vampire_!” 

“Of course not.” Ryou wiped his mouth, removing all traces of his feeding. That had been one of his better meals. “I would suggest that you not remain here. He’ll likely still be furious once he recovers. He can do no harm to me but you are not protected.” 

The boy regarded him, eyes suddenly narrowing. “Then take me with you. Back to wherever you come from.” 

“I don’t know any bakers who need apprentices,” Ryou pointed out. He didn’t know any bakers at all, though he suspected that Juudai employed at least one or two. But he didn’t enter the kitchens. 

The apprentice – he could identify dark hair and brown eyes and a thin body – crossed his arms and glared up at Ryou. “I don’t need to be a baker’s apprentice. I just need to not be here. I hate this place. I was only here because I didn’t have anywhere else to go. I figured if I learned enough about baking, I’d be able to – help a friend of mine.” He shrugged. “But I don’t need to do that here.” 

He stepped forward. “My name’s Saotome Rei and I owe you my life. So, Vampire-San, you’re stuck with me.” 

* * *

**To Be Continued**

**Notes:** Yes, they have magical tablets for communication. Yes, that is Rei. Yes, I am having _way_ too much fun!


	8. Chapter 8

**Title:** Wings of Freedom  
 **Characters:** Yuusuke, Edo, Dark Assassin, Ryou, Rei|| **Ship:** Edo x Saiou, Ryou x Yuusuke, Yubel x Juudai x Johan  
 **Chapters:** 8-51|| **Words:** 2,040|| **Total** 16,622  
 **Genre:** Drama|| **Rated:** PG  
 **Notes:** In this world, the vast majority of sentient life is born with flight-capable wings. It’s not quite like **Sky Stories** though, for a lot of reasons: starting with the fact the world is similar to Dark World in the sense that humans and spirits live together in various realms. As for the rest of it – you’ll see as we go along.  
 **Challenges:** Diversity Writing: YGO wings!AU: L11, completely fictional setting; New Year’s Mini-Advent 2015-2016: randomly generate 3 characters & write a fic about them (Yuusuke, Edo, & Brron); Valentine’s Day to White Day 2016, day #21, pick a random AU [wings!AU]; Advent 2016-2017, day #14, Chapter Set Boot Camp, #25, 51 chapters; Chapter Set Boot Camp, #25, 51 chapters; Christmas Advent 2017, day #22, take two characters who don’t interact & create a scenario where they do (Edo & Yuusuke); Epic Masterclass, #10, the Wild Card  
 **Summary:** Shadow mage Fujiwara Yuusuke and warrior Edo Phoenix are engaged by Brron to bring his wayward son Juudai back to him. Juudai doesn’t want to go back, and vampire Marufuji Ryou and psychic Saiou Takuma, along with his consorts Yubel and Johan, won’t let that happen. Yuusuke and Edo have no idea of what’s in store for them.

* * *

By the time Yuusuke finished his snack, another thought occurred to him. He considered it carefully before he turned towards his luggage. There wasn’t much of it – they carried only what they could carry themselves, not having anything else to carry it with. But he dug through small bags and pouches until he had what he wanted. 

Edo watched him, the faintest hint of curiosity in his eyes, until he could hold back the question no more. “What are you doing?” 

“I remembered something,” Yuusuke said, working to shake off the lingering traces of the darkness’s sweet touch on his soul. “I think I have another way where I can get some information.” 

Edo drummed his fingers for the barest breath. “What do you mean?” 

“You’ll see.” Yuusuke didn’t want to scare the warrior. Those who didn’t know anything about shadow magic often reacted badly to it but they needed as much information as they could gather. The sooner he got it, the better. 

He moved away from the flames. He would need as much darkness as he could manage for this. He set out four black candles to the four cardinal directions and sketched out a circle with a special powder from one of his pouches. 

When he lit the candles, the light that burned upward wasn’t _light_ in the normal way. Edo couldn’t have seen a thing by them. Yuusuke saw everything as clearly as if he’d lit a lantern. 

Then, as he sat just outside the circle, he began to chant, speaking in the ancient language of shadow mages. His shadow-touched energies reached outward, words wrapped around will, and searched for the one that he chose to call to him. 

Out of the darkness in the center of the circle there came a voice, quiet and firm. 

“What do you seek of me, shadow mage?” 

“Dark Assassin.” He could see the shape in the darkness – mostly humanoid, two arms, two legs, two wings, a torso, sharp golden eyes. “Do you know of Haou, who rules this land we are in?” 

Silence for a few moments before the answer came. “His existence is known to me.” 

“I seek him and I seek his bodyguard – whose name I do not know. That is what I require of you. To find where Haou is and to find his bodyguard. Haou’s location is all I need. But of the bodyguard, I must know his name and whatever else you can find out to tell me.” 

Again there wasn’t an answer for several long moments. “I can do this task. How long am I given?” 

“Three days and three nights,” Yuusuke told him. That would get them a lot closer to the city they’d been told Haou was in. If it did turn out to be the actual capital, all the better. If not, they’d be able to change direction. 

“And my payment?” 

This was the part that Yuusuke had never liked. But he hadn’t started this to stop now. “Bring the information that I seek, in a way that I can use it, and I will provide you with three revish fruit.” 

He could clearly see Dark Assassin’s eyes gleam bright there. In point of fact, Edo might well have seen them with how bright they were. 

“Five,” Dark Assassin challenged. “Five of them, perfectly ripened. No soft spots.” 

“Three,” Yuusuke declared with a shake of his head. Dark Assassin made a slight disapproving noise, and Yuusuke relented - a little. “Though I could possibly offer four.” 

Dark Assassin bent his head at once, the shadowy wings on his back twitching in pleasure. “Very well. Four revish fruit in exchange for information about Haou and his bodyguard, to be delivered within three days and three nights.” 

Yuusuke nodded, before he leaned forward and pricked his right index finger with the knife he kept at his belt. Three round, fat drops of blood landed on the circle, and Dark Assassin scooped up that area, licking at the mixed sand and blood. 

“Again we share a pact, Fujiwara Yuusuke,” Dark Assassin said with a small smile. His eyes flicked around the area, landing on Edo for a second before returning to regard Yuusuke. “If I may ask – where is your angel? I would not expect you to call me without him here to glower in disapproval.” 

Yuusuke dropped his head for a moment. As much as he would have liked, he couldn’t lie to a creature he was bound to, no more than the creature could lie to him. “He’s being held captive. I have little choice but to do as ordered to rescue him.” 

Dark Assassin’s eyes narrowed the tiniest of bits. “I see.” He rose up. “Release me from the circle and I will go for your information.” 

Yuusuke swept away part of the circle and the spirit darted out, fading away into the surrounding shadows. The mage sighed and slumped down; summoning took a great deal of his energy and he’d already used up a vast amount of it in his earlier failed scrying attempt. At least this stood a better chance of success. Or so he fondly hoped. 

“What the hell was _that_?” Edo demanded before Yuusuke could recover enough breath to properly speak. 

“Dark Assassin,” Yuusuke murmured at last, digging into his packs once more, this time in search for some of his personal restorative items. “A spirit that I’ve connected to before. If I didn’t have Honest, he’d probably be my familiar. As it is, he’s the strongest spirit of shadow that I know.” 

He regarded the vial he pulled out. He didn’t like using this but he didn’t have much choice at the moment. So he slugged it back as quickly as he could, his stomach churning at the taste. But he managed to keep it down and kept on talking. 

“He’ll find out what he can about Haou and the bodyguard. Then he’ll come and tell me.” 

“I got that part. What’s the price, though? I don’t know what those fruits are.” 

Yuusuke chuckled a bit weakly. “They’re a very rare fruit. I have a few in my bag – I thought I might need them on this trip. But four is _all_ I have.” 

Edo nodded, eyes shifting around the area. “Can he be trusted?” 

“I created a bond with my blood. He can’t do any harm to me or those I designate as protected by me. That does include you.” 

He wasn’t surprised to see Edo rest one hand on the hilt of his sword. “Is he protected from me?” 

“I would think so. Because he won’t attack you unless you break the protection by attacking him first.” 

Yuusuke carefully cleared up what he’d done, extinguishing the candles and putting them back into his bag, then sweeping up the sand circle and returning those to the proper pouch. He would have to sort through to make sure no unwanted particles of dirt were swept up as well, but he could do that later. 

“It’ll take him a while to find out everything. He won’t come back until he knows everything short of what the bodyguard’s preferred color is.” 

Edo frowned. “if he’s a spirit of darkness, then would it be possible for Haou to take him over? Send him back to attack you?” 

“Not as long as the blood bond exists, and that can only be broken when I die or if I choose to break it,” Yuusuke promised as he got settled back into his blankets. 

Truth to tell he didn’t know what Haou could do to cause him trouble with Dark Assassin. He’d never encountered someone with even close to the amount of power that Haou seemed to have. He’d have to trust in his own power, and in the bond that he’d forged between the two of them. 

_This would be so much easier if Honest could do it._

* * *

“You can’t stay with me.” Ryou attempted to explain to the small baker’s apprentice. The boy firmly stomped one foot, wings fluttering fiercely. 

“I said you’re stuck with me and you are. I’m not staying here. Wherever you go, I’m going.” 

“You can’t.” Ryou repeated. “I live far away from here. I won’t be here much longer and you can’t keep up with me.” 

Rei didn’t budge for a second. “You’d be surprised at what I can do. Tell me where you live and I’ll tell _you_ if I want to come and stay there.” 

From the way his expression was set, Rei fully intended to stay with him even if he’d said that he lived in the heart of Hell itself. Ryou hadn’t needed to breathe for ages but he found himself wanting to sigh anyway. Rei had that effect on him, it seemed. 

But perhaps telling him the truth would help. He knew very well how Haou’s reputation had spread since he’d established the realm – he’d gone out of his way to ensure that it had. 

“I serve Haou. I came here only to feed.” If he could get Rei convinced that he was far too dangerous to be around, then the baker’s apprentice would find somewhere else to go live. 

Rei didn’t so much as twitch an eyelash. “All right. Are you ready to go?” 

Ryou held back yet another unneeded and yet utterly necessary breath. If he wasn’t going to get out of this, he might as well at least put his best effort in making it go right. 

“What do you think you can do there? If you don’t want to be an apprentice, then what?” 

Rei shrugged. “What does Haou need done? Or what do you need done?” 

Had Haou needed anything in particular? Most of what he needed, Yubel, Johan, or Rune took care of it, and if they couldn’t, then there was someone else jumping out of the woodwork to take care of it. 

There was a problem with that, though. With different people doing it constantly, there wasn’t anyone who really learned what Haou wanted or needed. To have a dedicated servant to just do the small things that a consort of bodyguard couldn’t or didn’t have time to do – a personal servant… 

“Haou could use a servant,” Ryou said at last. “Someone to fetch and carry for him. To take messages around and many other such tasks.” 

Rei’s wings fluttered a little. “I can do that. That’s _easy_ compared to this.” He waved one hand at the still unconscious baker. “What do I get out of it?” 

How had this trip to feed turned into a _job interview_? Ryou mentally shook his head before he focused. 

“A room to stay in, clothes to wear, and food to eat. If you want more, you’ll have to negotiate with Haou for it.” Or whoever Haou delegated to the task. He would specifically ask not to have to deal with this anymore. 

Rei nodded fiercely. “You stay right here.” He declared before he darted into the building. Ryou considered leaving as the boy rattled around in there and decided against it. Rei would probably turn up at the castle with or without him. At least this way he could be certain they arrived alive and in one piece. 

The ex-apprentice popped back out, carrying a small bag tossed over one shoulder and a leather belt bound around their waist with several pouches hanging from it. One of them tinkled suspiciously. Ryou regarded him. 

“You robbed him blind, didn’t you?” 

Rei shrugged. “He was supposed to pay me in more than just room, board, and beatings. I jut took what I was owed, plus some interest for the last couple of years. Let’s go.” 

Ryou spread his wings. “Fine. If you can keep up with me.” And then he launched himself into the air, waiting just long enough for Rei to join him. It wasn’t often that young children could fly very well, especially to be capable of the kinds of speeds an adult could reach. He’d practiced flight longer than he expected Rei or his father or grandfather or great-grandfather had even been alive. 

But regardless, Rei at least kept him in sight, if not actually beside him, all the way back to Haou’s castle. 

* * *

**To Be Continued**

**Notes:** I enjoyed writing this chapter a lot. Yuusuke is being clever and Ryou is being confused.


	9. Chapter 9

**Title:** Wings of Freedom  
 **Characters:** Saiou, Mizuchi|| **Ship:** Edo x Saiou, Ryou x Yuusuke, Yubel x Juudai x Johan  
 **Chapters:** 9-51|| **Words:** 2,017|| **Total** 18,639  
 **Genre:** Drama|| **Rated:** PG  
 **Notes:** In this world, the vast majority of sentient life is born with flight-capable wings. It’s not quite like **Sky Stories** though, for a lot of reasons: starting with the fact the world is similar to Dark World in the sense that humans and spirits live together in various realms. As for the rest of it – you’ll see as we go along.  
 **Challenges:** Diversity Writing: YGO wings!AU: L11, completely fictional setting; New Year’s Mini-Advent 2015-2016: randomly generate 3 characters & write a fic about them (Yuusuke, Edo, & Brron); Valentine’s Day to White Day 2016, day #21, pick a random AU [wings!AU]; Advent 2016-2017, day #14, Chapter Set Boot Camp, #25, 51 chapters; Chapter Set Boot Camp, #25, 51 chapters; Christmas Advent 2017, day #22, take two characters who don’t interact & create a scenario where they do (Edo & Yuusuke); Epic Masterclass, #10, the Wild Card  
 **Summary:** Shadow mage Fujiwara Yuusuke and warrior Edo Phoenix are engaged by Brron to bring his wayward son Juudai back to him. Juudai doesn’t want to go back, and vampire Marufuji Ryou and psychic Saiou Takuma, along with his consorts Yubel and Johan, won’t let that happen. Yuusuke and Edo have no idea of what’s in store for them.

* * *

Under no circumstances would Saiou admit that a shimmering, sharp pair of blue eyes lurked in the very back of his thoughts as he and his sister flew along. And even if he had admitted, what was wrong about it? He knew very well that this so-called ‘assassin’ wasn’t anything of the sort. Edo Phoenix might well play that role but there was a vast difference between a warrior and an assassin. 

“We’re almost to Moonscar.” 

Saiou almost didn’t hear Mizuchi. But as the name sank in, he jerked himself out of his thoughts and glanced ahead of them. There indeed sat Moonscar, a thriving village set next to a large, perfectly circular lake, that reflected the moon. They weren’t the only people flying in; most travelers preferred to find a room to rest in overnight when they could. 

“You were still thinking about him,” Mizuchi said quietly as they began to arc downward to the landing area. Saiou considered for a moment telling her that was nonsense. But the way her sharp gaze sliced into him told him that wasn’t the best idea. 

“He interests me,” Saiou admitted. “I would like to get to know him better once he no longer is tangled in Brron’s web of lies.” 

“Do you think _he_ would like to get to know _you_ better?” Mizuchi wanted to know. 

Saiou hesitated on his reply. He’d considered that during the flight as well. 

“I don’t know,” he admitted. His sight and the cards could and did tell him a great deal but his sight revealed nothing about what Edo might want to do in the future and he hadn’t yet asked the cards. 

There was a part of him that didn’t want to ask. That wanted to find out for himself exactly how matters would unfold. There was a certain pleasure in not knowing everything, and there were few enough situations where his sight didn’t tell him what he needed to know. 

_Would that mean that I don’t need to know what’s going to happen with him?_ Saiou wasn’t truly sure on that front. He seldom had flawless, perfect visions of what was to come, like a tapestry unfolding. What he had were glimpses, sensations, feelings on the correct course of action. Using the cards could often help in that regard. 

Unfortunately, the small details of having to enter Moonscar, locate an inn that had a room suitable for them for the night, and deciding what to have for a proper dinner overwhelmed everything else at the moment. 

The food at their chosen inn ended up being plentiful and filling for the price they paid. Neither of them wished to announce that they served Haou. Doing so wouldn’t have necessarily garnered them a discount on their food but it would have brought more attention than they wanted. It also wasn’t impossible that Phoenix and Fujiwara would find their way here, and if rumors about those who served the ruler of the realm happened to be circulating, that could tilt matters into an unfavorable direction. 

So for tonight, he and Mizuchi were simply travelers. 

It had been quite a long time since they’d been in the air like this. Even then, it hadn’t been the same. 

Back then, the two of them had been children, not even properly ten years old yet. They hadn’t been able to get rooms at inns then – inns required money and that was something they hadn’t had in those days. Food came from wherever they could get it in the forests, picking off the trees and bushes, or trapping small animals to roast over a fire. 

Their lives were so much better now, and he could not have been more grateful. 

_If it hadn’t been for Pegasus, who knows where we would have ended up._

Even his sight couldn’t tell him what _might_ have happened. Back in those days, it hadn’t been clear enough for him to know where they should go or what they should do. So they’d wandered. 

They’d had nothing else to do. They’d been born in a small, humble village, where very little interesting ever happened. If anyone were born there who had unusual talents, they often found a way to leave as soon as they could. Some managed to adulthood; others found ways to leave before then. 

Saiou and Mizuchi’s parents and grandparents and great-grandparents had lived in the village – Glimmergrove – for all their lives. The most interesting site in the area was a grove of trees that glowed in moonlight when the moon was full. Sometimes people came to visit, and it was from the travelers that the villagers earned most of their money. 

Glimmergrove existed very peacefully for untold centuries Family legend had it that the Saious had been the founding family, and that the trees blessed them. Their family guided visitors through the trees and told old tales about how there were dryads in there. Saiou himself knew there _were_ dryads, though his parents hadn’t really believed. 

He knew because he’d seen them, spoken with them. They liked to come out when he wandered through the trees on his own, and a dryad first taught him magic. The same thing happened when Mizuchi started coming along with him. Her magic seemed more in line with that of the dryads and the naiads who also lived in the streams and ponds of the grove. So she learned a great deal more from them than he did. 

He’d met his first dryad when he was six years old. For two glorious years everything had been as happy as he thought they could be. His parents loved him and his sister. Once it became known that they had magical talents, it was presumed the day would come when they would leave Glimmergrove. Saiou wasn’t sure about that, but he didn’t want to contradict his parents. 

The magic he learned from the dryads involved that of the trees and leaves and all things alive. He wasn’t the best at it, but they told him that he’d find his true path of sorcery one day, and he wanted to believe them. 

The first hint he’d ever had of his own true talents came at the very end. 

* * *

Fire. Screams. Blood. Death. 

Saiou jerked awake, fingers clutching the blankets around him, heart pounding, a scream hovering behind his lips that he never quite knew how it escaped. He breathed in, trying to figure out what was going on. Everything around him was silent, as it should be in the early morning. 

The sun wasn’t even up yet. But Saiou knew there wasn’t a chance of going back to sleep. His heart slowly relaxed from the trip-hammer thud, but the sense of something wrong, something that was going to happen, continued to thrum inside of him. 

“Brother?” Mizuchi murmured, raising her head to look at him. “Are you all right? Did you have a bad dream?” 

“I think so,” he replied, slowly shaking his head in the hopes that would sort out the malaise. He glanced out the window in their room. It was covered by a treated substance to keep the cold and wind out, but he still shivered. That wasn’t right for this time of year. 

He did his best to put together what happened. It had been a dream, but something other than a dream at the same time. He’d seen himself and Mizuchi racing through Glimmergrove, or what he thought was Glimmergrove. He couldn’t be certain, since flames rose up everywhere, devouring everything in their path. Screams filled the air, and large bodies moved through the pre-dawn darkness. Smoke choked his lungs in that dream, as did the sharp scent of copper – spilled blood. 

Noise came from outside – a bell ringing. That of the night sentry. Then, the bell stopped. 

Saiou made up his mind in a heartbeat. He scrambled to his feet and reached for the closest clothes he could find. “Get up! Get up!” Saiou cried, hoping his parents would hear him. Maybe they could all make it out safely. “We’re under attack!” 

Mizuchi followed a heartbeat after him, wriggling into her clothes, calling for their parents. She clung close to him, and he could feel her trembling. 

He wanted to tell her that it was all right, that they would be safe. But the words refused to come out and all he could do was try to grab some food and start for the door, with or without their parents. 

“Takuma? Mizuchi? What are you doing up?” Their mother stood in the door to the kitchen, confusion written across her soft, sleepy features. 

“We have to get out of here,” Saiou said as fast as he could. “Something very bad is happening. I heard the alert bell from the night guard.” 

Saiou Hanae glanced between her two children, then moved over to the door. “I’m sure it was a false alarm,” she said, opening the door. “Or you had a bad dream.” 

Saiou started to open his mouth, wanting to say that he had dreamed it, but that didn’t mean it was _wrong_. He never had the chance. No sooner had she opened the door than she fell back from it, crashing to the floor, an arrow buried in her throat, eyes glazed over. 

Mizuchi screamed and Saiou stopped thinking. He only acted – he took his sister by the arm and the two of them hurried out of their home, racing as fast as their legs could carry them. 

“Daddy? What about daddy?” Mizuchi demanded before they’d even reached the next cottage over. Saiou just shook his head. 

He knew – he knew now, as he hadn’t minutes before, that their father wasn’t going to make it out of this. Even if they went back for him, he would still fall. Saiou Noriaki was destined to die tonight and nothing could change that. 

But he wasn’t going to tell Mizuchi that. She wasn’t ready to understand. One day. Maybe. 

A few more steps and Saiou realized they were in the scene of his nightmare. Buildings burst into flame all around and people fled their homes, shrieking and running but not going anywhere sensible. The village had been peaceful for so long that no one knew what to do now that it wasn’t anymore. 

He could see what was causing all of this – warriors in armor moved through the smoke and flame filled area. Exactly who they were he wasn’t sure of. He couldn’t see any faces because of their helmets. But he didn’t think that he wanted to. 

So they ran, ducking through the smoke and dodging the flames, heading away from the dryad grove. A few soldiers here and there tried to grab for them, but Saiou knew where to go to avoid them. Mizuchi clung to him, trembling and whimpering. She stopped calling for their dad as they headed out of the village, and Saiou thought she might understand that this was destiny. Unchangeable, immutable. 

Saiou didn’t think he liked destiny a great deal. 

* * *

After dinner, the two of them settled into their rented room. It wasn’t as good as their quarters back at Haou’s castle but it had a warm bed that was large enough for them to share, fold up their wings, and get some rest. 

Saiou wrapped his wings around himself. They’d been so young when Glimmergrove fell that flight hadn’t been an option. They’d barely been able to flutter their wings. Now was better. 

He wondered at times what their parents would think of what the two of them had grown into. Would they be proud? Would they be glad that both of them learned how to use their powers? He liked to think so. 

Again those sharp sapphire eyes of Edo Phoenix rose up in his mind. What would he think of what happened to them? What secrets lay in _his_ past? 

He would find out one day. This wasn’t destiny – this was determination. He would find out as much as he could about Edo Phoenix, and let the future do what it willed. 

* * *

**To Be Continued**

**Notes:** So, some Saiou backstory. Sorry it’s late. I also updated the summary, which I think is more accurate now.


	10. Chapter 10

**Title:** Wings of Freedom  
**Characters:** Johan, Rune, Rainbow Dragon|| **Ship:** Edo x Saiou, Ryou x Yuusuke, Yubel x Juudai x Johan  
**Chapters:** 10-51|| **Words:** 2,027|| **Total** 20,666  
**Genre:** Drama|| **Rated:** PG  
**Notes:** In this world, the vast majority of sentient life is born with flight-capable wings. It’s not quite like **Sky Stories** though, for a lot of reasons: starting with the fact the world is similar to Dark World in the sense that humans and spirits live together in various realms. As for the rest of it – you’ll see as we go along.  
**Challenges:** Diversity Writing: YGO wings!AU: L11, completely fictional setting; New Year’s Mini-Advent 2015-2016: randomly generate 3 characters & write a fic about them (Yuusuke, Edo, & Brron); Valentine’s Day to White Day 2016, day #21, pick a random AU [wings!AU]; Advent 2016-2017, day #14, Chapter Set Boot Camp, #25, 51 chapters; Chapter Set Boot Camp, #25, 51 chapters; Christmas Advent 2017, day #22, take two characters who don’t interact & create a scenario where they do (Edo & Yuusuke); Epic Masterclass, #10, the Wild Card  
**Summary:** Shadow mage Fujiwara Yuusuke and warrior Edo Phoenix are engaged by Brron to bring his wayward son Juudai back to him. Juudai doesn’t want to go back, and vampire Marufuji Ryou and psychic Saiou Takuma, along with his consorts Yubel and Johan, won’t let that happen. Yuusuke and Edo have no idea of what’s in store for them.  


* * *

Johan set his tablet back into the carrying case and turned to his twin, letting the pleasant smile he’d worn when talking to Hell Kaiser fade away. 

“Are we done enough here?” 

Rune tilted his head back and considered. He glanced briefly around their quarters here, then returned his attention to his brother. 

“Yes. All Haou-sama needs to do is sign the actual paperwork and the alliance will be set. He’ll have to pick out an ambassador and set up somewhere for them to live here, but overall, it’s done.” 

Johan nodded. That was what he’d thought. He’d just wanted to make certain that Rune agreed. Rune knew more about the diplomatic side of matters than he did. Of the two of them, he was more used to working things out by the rules. 

Johan long ago admitted to himself that while he wasn’t bad at getting people to work together, Rune was _far_ better at it than he was, and he still rather favored finding other ways to persuade people to see things his way. 

“All right. Let’s inform the Queen that we’re leaving as soon as possible.” 

It was earlier than they’d planned, but after getting that information from Hell Kaiser, Johan wanted to be _home_ , to be ready in case those assassins struck faster and harder than was imagined. He believed with all of his heart that Yubel could and would protect Juudai successfully – assuming these would-be assassins could even make it past Hell Kaiser in the first place – but that didn’t stop him from wanting to be home where he belonged. 

Getting an audience with the Queen wasn’t difficult; they’d been sent directly by Haou so certain privileges applied. All they had to do was send a quick message via the servant assigned to run such errands for them. By the time the servant returned, they were both ready. 

Side by side they entered the grand area where the Queen awaited them. It wasn’t a throne room, not in the technical sense of the word. Throne rooms were difficult to manage when one stood before the Queen of Dragons. Instead, the Queen lounged at her ease on a pile of soft, plush cushions, a few other dragons encircling her, watching eagerly. 

More than once Johan suspected that some of these dragons wished to devour both he and Rune. At least the ones that didn’t stare at them in awe. 

At least the ones who regarded them in awe were in the majority. He bowed courteously, Rune mirroring the movement, their wings spread out to balance them. 

“Greetings, Majesty,” Johan said, speaking dragon flawlessly. It wasn’t easy but he’d worked all of his life to learn the tongue properly. Rune didn’t have the knack for it, though he spoke enough to be understood and could understand it flawlessly. 

Both of them could understand any language flawlessly, of course. Being what they were came with several benefits. 

Diamond Dragon, the great Queen, bent her scaled head towards them. “A pleasure to see you again, hatchlings.” She addressed them both with warm affection. “But I fear that your time here has come to an end?” 

“For now it has,” Johan agreed, with a tiny flick of his wings. “My beloved mate is in need of us to return to his side.” 

Diamond Dragon regarded them once more, her eyes wise and amused. “Is he in need or has it been too long since you were there?” 

One of the watching dragons murmured something else that Johan caught and preferred to ignore. What they said wasn’t entirely wrong but it wasn’t the reason for their return either. Better to ignore it. 

“One might say a little of both, great Queen,” Johan agreed. “Our work here is done and while we would both be pleased beyond words to enjoy your hospitality for months to come, home and need call us back.” 

Rune nodded, choosing his words with great care. “Should it become possible, we would gladly return to your beautiful land one day. Perhaps we could bring Haou-sama with us, so that you and he may meet in person.” 

Johan agreed; he knew that Juudai would love to see this place again, and meet the great Queen dragon. Juudai liked dragons; he and Yubel were living proof of that. 

“I look forward to that day. Go in peace and safety,” the Queen blessed them. 

Johan bowed swiftly, then turned to leave. The same dragon who’d muttered before now let out a slightly louder laugh. 

“Gotta hurry back before mating season is over with. I hear humans are _always_ in heat, you know.” 

Johan caught Rune’s eye and both of them tried not to laugh out loud. He refused to say anything but hurried onward to their quarters again. 

“They’re going to keep thinking that,” Rune murmured once they were out of the large carved chamber. “You know that.” 

“I know.” Johan said with a shake of his head. What else could they do, though? Dragons didn’t really understand human breeding. For that matter, he wasn’t sure if they understood how he and Rune existed in the first place. 

_Does anyone understand that?_ He knew that he didn’t. 

But it didn’t matter. He knew their reasons for returning and that was what mattered thee most right now. 

They were already packed up and after getting their bags, headed for the nearest departure point. Johan stretched his wings and flapped them a little. He could have flown home if he wanted to, but that would have required leaving their packages behind. So he had another way to get them both home with everything. 

Good; no one else was there. They had the departure point all to themselves. Johan fished out a single card from his pocket and focused his attention and will on it. 

“In a seven-colored flash of light, I summon _Ultimate Gem God Rainbow Dragon_!” Johan declared. The card glowed brilliantly, flashing in every shade of the rainbow, then before them there appeared the glittering Rainbow Dragon. 

He reached up to the beautiful creature, brushing his fingers over the white-scaled jaw as it bent towards him. 

“Hello, my children,” Rainbow Dragon murmured, voice deep enough to shake Johan to his bones. “You wish to leave?” 

“Yeah,” Johan murmured, enjoying the sensation of the warm scales underneath his fingertips. This was one reason he didn’t want to summon Rainbow Dragon too often. He could get caught up in this forever if he wasn’t careful. “Juudai needs us. So we need to go as fast as we can.” 

Normally he wouldn’t have summoned the great God Dragon for a simple trip to their realm. They’d made it here with a combination of their own wings and a caravan bringing along the baggage. On that trip it had taken them several days to get here. But that would take too long now. He wanted to get back there before those assassins arrived. In point of fact, if they could find a way to stop those assassins before they grew close enough to the castle, all the better. 

But first, they would need to get home. 

Rainbow Dragon nodded his agreement as he bent down so they could mount up. Johan folded his wings – which were mirror images of Rainbow Dragon’s – and tucked himself onto the dragon’s back. Rune joined him, wings also tucked in. His wings were very different from Johan’s – they were twins in almost every feature of face and form save that one – with pale blue feathers highlighted with a dusting of gold. 

Once they were situated and all the packs strapped into place, Rainbow Dragon rose up into the air, circled around once, and launched towards the west and the setting sun – for home. 

* * *

Neither Johan nor Rune knew anything about who their parents might have been or were. They’d never known them. They could never know them, as far as the twins were aware. 

They were known far and wide as the children of Rainbow Dragon. Not because they _were_ , but because Rainbow Dragon and the Gem Beasts raised and nurtured them from their earliest infancy. Rainbow Dragon told them that Ruby Carbuncle discovered them hidden away in the woods near where the shrine to the great dragon God nestled. There hadn’t been any sign of who left them there. The shrine was so far into the woodlands that any human who made their way there would have left tracks and probably still been in the area when the babies were found. 

But no evidence of who it might be had ever been uncovered. So with the help of some of the nature spirits that lived in the woodlands, the Gem Beasts raised the two boys as their own, giving them names and teaching them all about the world, until they were old enough to go out and explore on their own. 

And so they had – remaining together as they always had. Johan couldn’t really wrap his mind around the concept of _not_ having Rune around. He thought maybe it might happen one day but it hadn’t happened yet and he wasn’t in any real rush for it to happen at all. Rune felt the same way. They were twins, meant to stay together, and so they would. 

This lasted even when they met Juudai, and for the first time in his life, Johan met someone that he valued at least as much as his twin and the rest of his family. While Rune didn’t have the same strong feelings for Juudai that Johan did, he at least seemed to understand that Johan _did_ feel like that, and stayed by his side. 

Johan would never forget the moment he’d first looked into Juudai’s eyes. He’d barely known who this stranger was, having crossed paths in a simple tavern in the backwoods of beyond. He and Rune stopped there for a night’s rest, intent on moving on the next day. They’d heard about how pleasant the realm ruled by Pegasus Crawford was, and they wanted to see it for themselves. 

Then a young man entered the tavern. Johan glanced at him curiously, and met a pair of brilliant brown eyes. The first thought in his mind was how empty those eyes looked – as if no one had ever simply bothered to _love_ him. He’d learned later that this was entirely true. Yubel was the first being that Juudai had ever met that treated him kindly and without fear. 

Johan and Rune were, respectively, the second and the third. From that first moment, Johan devoted himself to making the light of life sparkle inside of Juudai. Crossing paths with Yubel only made that desire stronger – because Yubel shared it. 

He missed Yubel too. He loved them as much as he loved Juudai. More than once all three of them had gone flying together, arching through the air and rising as high as they could, hand in hand. Sometimes if Juudai had to wake up earlier than they did, which unfortunately had been known to happen, the two of them curled around one another as long as they could. 

Sometimes Johan wondered about them all. Not only did he and Rune come from nowhere, but Juudai did as well. He knew the story, as Juudai had told it to him. He’d been found by one of Brron’s servants when he was little more than a toddler, wandering a ruined area. There hadn’t been a village there, and there hadn’t been one in ages. Juudai had simply been there, a vacant-eyed toddler, and Brron decided to raise him as his own. 

Exactly why he did that and didn’t treat Juudai _decently_ , Johan didn’t know and refused to even think about asking Brron, let alone Juudai. He suspected – and had for years – that if he ever knew everything that Brron did to Juudai and why he did it, then he wouldn’t rest until Brron was little more than a pasty smear across the landscape. 

All of his life, Johan had been called the son of a dragon. He refused to let people know exactly how much of a dragon’s heart beat inside. 

* * *

**To Be Continued**

**Notes:** This time we have some backstory for Johan and Rune. All of the pieces are being set into place!


End file.
